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Willow-girl t1_ixucf44 wrote

Looking at the pic, that was an amazing church. Amazing that black people (given all of the discrimination at the time) were able to fund and build something that grand in 1908. Makes you think ...

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susinpgh OP t1_ixufnc9 wrote

The Hill District was an amazingly vibrant place back then. It was originally a neighborhood of middle-class blacks. There were a huge number of small businesses. It also drew black people from across the US and even Europe. It was a center for Jazz.

https://aaregistry.org/story/the-hill-district-pittsburgh/

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BorisTheMansplainer t1_ixv7hmq wrote

Also the birthplace of August Wilson. It was truly a mecca for black artists and it can't be understated how badly urban renewal fucked that up for this city.

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Willow-girl t1_ixupa4f wrote

It is nothing short of tragic the way urban planning -- in some ways the antithesis of the free market -- destroyed vibrant black communities in urban centers across the U.S. in the name of "progress."

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susinpgh OP t1_ixuqdut wrote

Absolutely. This one was particularly egregious.

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