Multiple times a day, in cities across the US and beyond, a simple yet powerful message is repeated by the well-meaning, the ill-informed, and the bigoted: “don’t go” - avoid at all costs those Black and Brown disinvested neighborhoods that have become bywords for social disorder and urban decay.
This book is a collection of intimate stories and evocative photos that uncover the hidden influence of both subtle and overt “don’t go” messages and the segregation they perpetuate in Chicago. Told by everyday people to Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan - a Black artist and a White academic who met through their shared passion for anti-segregation work - the stories paint a rich picture of life in a segregated city.
One by one, the storytellers upend pessimism with candid, deeply personal, humorous, and heartbreaking tales, and with novel ideas for simple actions that can serve as antidotes to both racism and “place-ism.”
By inviting readers into the lives of regular people who have ignored the warning to stay away from “don’t go” neighborhoods or who live in those very same neighborhoods, the stories in Don’t Go illuminate the devastating consequences of racial segregation and disinvestment as well as the inevitable rewards of coming together.
Table of Contents
Foreword - Mary Schmich
What This Book Is About
Tonika’s Story
Maria’s Story
The Story of “Don’t Go” - Tonika + Maria’s Story
The Sociologist’s Notebook
Section 1: Fear
Grandma’s No Go Zone - Adrianne’s Story
Adventures of a White Dude - Jerry’s Story
Dear Grandma - Jeff’s Story
Context is Everything - Aleya’s Story
Trains, Robbers, and Coffee - Soren’s Story
Fulfilling Prophecies - Danica’s Story
Reflections on Stories of Fear
Section 2: Messengers
Let’s Get Something on the Books - Joey’s Story
Racist Worms - Eva’s Story
Following the Pack - Tom’s Story
Glitter - Zachary’s Story
At the Center of Everything - Katherine’s Story
Reflections on the Messengers
Section 3: Shortcuts
What Am I Supposed To Say? - Jenny’s Story
Harmful Mundane/Helpful Mundane - Sara’s Story
The City Doesn’t Eat You Alive - Becky’s Story
The Bubbles - Halle’s Story
Rent a White Lady - Caroline’s Story
Whistling While You Segregate - Jamaine’s Story
Reflections on Shortcuts
Section 4: From Hurt to Healing
Accordingly - Leslie’s Story
Engineering Change - Tiana’s Story
From Mad Max to Lady Dates - Kristine’s Story
Curiosity Passports - Roberto’s Story
Questions and Answers - Amy’s Story
Saying No to Hate - Jenny S’s Story
Jumping Rope - Dominic’s Story
Reflections on From Hurt to Healing
Section 5: Taking a Step to Take One More
Talking
Feeling
Acting
