Spotlight on Saginaw: Racism in Middle America

To an outsider, Saginaw, Michigan may sound like an appealing place to live. Although the automotive industry has made the region financially unstable, the health care industry, financial corporations, and large companies such as Dow have made the area more sustainable in recent years.

The property value in the Saginaw area is relatively low. Residents can purchase a home with a fair amount of acreage for less than what some suburbanites pay for their cars in other areas. If one can find the right job opportunity, Saginaw is a great place to save and invest.

Just beyond the city, there are other small and medium sized towns such as St. Charles and Midland. Midland, a community centered around Dow and its international business, is a spiritual town with values. Children receive a private school quality education at Midland Public Schools.

While this is in fact a hearty area in the midst of financial reconstruction, there are some noticeable differences between the Tri-City area (Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland, Michigan) and east or west coast communities. Residents of Saginaw have shorter commute times, less traffic, and shorter lines at the grocery store than the high-stress citizens of New York and Los Angeles. When it snows, crews are responsive. Public services are more attainable.

There is also the matter of race. Geographically, a river divides the city. In Saginaw, segregation feels typical. On one side of the river, it is rare to see a white person, and a white person in that area feels threatened. The same is true for black people when they cross the river into a white-dominated area.

To combat the problem of racism in the Saginaw area, it is necessary to examine the reasons for the existence of these issues. Individually, most families of all races in Saginaw are loving and caring. They tend to be very active in church or other community life compared to citizens of other localities and embrace any opportunity to rebuild their community.

Economy and Job Competition