In Part VI, I mentioned Riverdale Branch grade school on the "north side" (meaning north of the Calumet River) on 133rd. Street. Several kids from my "block" as well as the "north side" went to that school as it was the only one serving our far southside area of Chicago known as the Riverdale area.
This school was called a "branch" of some other larger public school which I suspect may have been Pullman, but am unsure.
It appeared to be normal to me that only white kids went to that school from our neighborhood and the black kids living in the projects (Altgeld Gardens) went to their "own" schools.
When Chicago Public Schools were built in Altgeld Gardens after WWII, the school district was gerrymandered by creating Riverdale "Branch" for the white kids while the black kids in the project had to go to school in the project ..even though some lived closer to the "branch" school than the ones in the project!
When it came to High School, kids in my neighborhood went to Fenger which was approximately 3 miles away. Carver High School was less than a mile away. And high school kids in Altgeld Gardens could only attend Carver High School.
For us white kids, it was just accepted as "that's the way it is". Inbred racism doesn't seem bad when it becomes a major part of your upbringing.
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