Unequal City: Race, Schools, and Perceptions of Injustice

by Carla Shedd

Once young people begin high school, whether in Chicago or any other city, they enter a stage when they are venturing farther and farther away from home. This is the case not only because of the logistics of getting to school, but also because adolescents are in the developmental phase in which they seek exposure to more people and to varied experiences. Young people cross all types of boundaries to attend school—racial and ethnic boundaries, gang lines, and class barriers, to name only a few. What is more, the physical terrain they are asked to cross is governed by various social norms concerning where people should and should not go, how they should present themselves, and how they should behave. These journeys have consequences. The very act of crossing boundaries—or just as important, not crossing boundaries—determines for my study participants the people with whom they interact, their experiences, and their perceptions of themselves and the world.