Race relations of Cincinnati, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cincinnati, Ohio was a bordertown between slave states and free states in the Union during the Civil War. There have been many incidents of race-based violence before and after the Civil War race-based violence before and after the Civil War with the most notably recent one being the 2001 Cincinnati Riots. The neighborhoods in Cincinnati are highly segregated. This separation was not explicitly created in law books or social procedures, but it is easily seen when considering the density of one racial domination of a particular area. There are also more highly integrated neighborhoods, but these are often surrounded by more demographically polarized neighborhoods.

[edit] Race relations

Situated across the Ohio River from the border state of Kentucky, which allowed slavery, Ohio was a major focal point for commerce to the South. Although slavery was not permitted immediately before the Civil War, the city was not accepting of blacks. There were riots, racial purges, and confrontations with runaway slaves and freemen kidnapped into bondage.

The neighborhoods in Cincinnati are highly segregated. This separation was not explicitly created in law books or social procedures, but it is easily seen when considering the density of one racial domination of a particular area. Typically most Blacks reside closer to downtown (such as Over-the-Rhine and Avondale in Cincinnati and Covington across the river in Kentucky), with White clusters (such as Mount Adams, University Heights, and Clifton) being further from the center. There are also more highly integrated neighborhoods, but these are often surrounded by more polarized neighborhoods.

[edit] Underground Railroad

Cincinnati was an important stop for the Underground Railroad in pre-Civil War times. It bordered a slave state, Kentucky, and is often mentioned as a destination for many people escaping the bonds of slavery. There are many harrowing stories involving abolitionists, runaways, slave traders and free men.

Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1824 as the first Black church in Ohio. It was an important stop on the Underground Railroad for many years, and eventually seeded many other congregations in the city, across the state, and throughout the Midwest.

Lane Theological Seminary was established in the Walnut Hills section of Cincinnati in 1829 to educate Presbyterian ministers. Prominent New England pastor Lyman Beecher moved his family (Harriet and son Henry) from Boston to Cincinnati to become the first President of the Seminary in 1832.

Lane Seminary is known primarily for the "debates" held there in 1834 that influenced the nation's thinking about slavery. Several of those involved went on to play an important role in the abolitionist movement and the buildup to the American Civil War. [1] Abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom' Cabin, first published on March 20, 1852. The book was the best-selling novel of the 19th century (and the second best-selling book of the century after the Bible)^[1] and is credited with helping to fuel the abolitionist cause in the United States prior to the American Civil War. In the first year after it was published, 300,000 copies of the book were sold. In his 1985 book Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture, Thomas Gossett observed that "in 1872 a biographer of Horace Greeley would argue that the chief force in developing support for the Republican Party in the 1850s had been Uncle Tom's Cabin." The Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati is located at 2950 Gilbert Avenue, and it is open to the public.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, located in downtown Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River, largely focuses on the history of slavery in the U.S., but has an underlying mission of promoting freedom in a contemporary fashion for the world. Its grand opening ceremony in 2002 was a gala event involving many national stars, musical acts, fireworks, and a visit from the current First Lady of the United States. It is physically located between Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium, which were both built and opened shortly before the Freedom Center was opened.

[edit] History of race riots

There is a long history of racial tension between White and Black citizens in Cincinnati that have erupted in violence.

• 1829 - Riots begun by Whites to terrorize the Black community resulted in thousands of Blacks leaving for Canada, a portion of whom founded the Wilberforce Colony in Ontario.
• 1836 - A pro-slavery riot took place.
• 1841 - White Irish-descendant and Irish immigrant dock workers rioted against Black dock workers. When the Black dock workers banded together to defend their community from the approaching Whites, the White rioters retreated and then commandeered a 6-pound cannon and shot it through the streets of Cincinnati.
• 1967 - the first riot initiated by Blacks occurred. The incident which sparked the violence was a domestic dispute between a Black couple which had gunfire involved but turned quickly into a race riot.
• 1968 - After Martin Luther King Jr's death riots raged nationwide. In the riots in Cincinnati two people died.
• 2001 - (Main article: 2001 Cincinnati Riots) After a period of 6 years, in which 15 young Black males were killed during police confrontations, and no other race or gender died, riots broke out in downtown Cincinnati. The death of Timothy Thomas occurred on the backdrop of a federal case brought against the city and police department alleging racial profiling rallying around Roger Owensby, Jr while the civil trial investigating the police involved in Owensby's death. (See also: Roger Owensby Jr Criminal Trial.) This combination is considered the catalyst for what some refer to as riots and others an uprising. The following years saw a slowing of policing in the more crime-riddled neighborhoods of Cincinnati and a spike in the murder rate, especially young Black males killing young Black males.