Integration wasn’t a complete failure — the real issue is the mindset of “please accept me into your space, White people,” that has been passed down in Black communities for generations. Many Black people still look up to white individuals and their institutions, and it’s disappointing. We shouldn’t feel obligated to depend on or seek approval from those institutions.
White people kept control by placing certain Black leaders in authority and landlords didn’t improve housing because residents had few options. It’s like having every institution run by someone with Sheriff Clarke’s mindset. I don’t think it was a mistake, and I can’t judge people who did what they thought would give them a better life.