I was sharing information about my blog post, Lack of Black at Chicago’s World’s Fair in 1893…and Chicago 2016, with a buddy and had the following thought.
Washington Park is not very far from Jackson Park, the location of the 1893 World’s Fair. Do you think Mayor Daley and his crew was trying to re-create White City on the South Side all over again?
White City was another name for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition based on the materials used to construct the buildings. However, White City was a double entredre. While it really refered to the materials of the buildings; it became known for the preferred color of the planning committee, staff, and attendees.
Anyway, my answer would be YES.
With the gentrification going on in some of the poorer communities which tend to be home to minorities, and some of the more not-so-obvious things happening, I am certain there is a plan in place to change the color of the South Side. Planning the Olympics would have just made it whiter much faster.
These topics and more would never be seen or discussed on TV.