Becoming

When I began kindergarten in 1969, my neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago was made
up of a racially diverse mix of middle-class families. But as many better-off families moved to the
suburbs—a phenomenon commonly known as “white flight”—the demographics changed fast.
By fifth grade, the diversity was gone. ABOVE: My kindergarten class; I’m third row, second
from right. BELOW: My fifth-grade class; I’m third row, center.