Resisting Segregation

Today, the Cleveland metro area regularly ranks as one of the top ten most racially segregated urban areas in the country. Yet, a few communities in Greater Cleveland stand out as national models of racial diversity, and Cleveland Heights stands out among them. How did it happen? \n\nResisting Segregation traces the courage, dedication, and resilience of grass root activists who waged a fight to transform Cleveland Heights from an exclusive, all\-white suburb into an inclusive, diverse community. The book documents how Cleveland Heights citizens challenged a seemingly insurmountable social problem: the lack of housing opportunities for African Americans. \n\nIn 1964, a group of white women, inspired by the national civil rights movement, joined with black citizens – leaders and visionaries – to fight for racial equality and open up Cleveland Heights for all. Over the next 12 years, community activists lobbied city government to welcome integration and fought federal and state policies, resistant realtors, widespread racism, and hostile neighbors who enforced segregation. They worked as opponents bombed their homes and realtors preyed on homeowners’ fears through blockbusting. \n\nIn the end, they created long\-standing organizations and changed city government to forever shape the future of Cleveland Heights. They transformed a virtually all\-white suburb into an enduring, integrated community with a vibrant civic culture. Resisting Segregation is a must\-read for anyone interested in the evolution of this unique community and for those looking for a path forward toward greater racial justice. \n\nProduced by local Northeast Ohio publisher Cleveland Landmarks Press, the book demonstrates how citizen activism works, how people can fight systemic racism, and how our communities can improve with a commitment to racial equity.

Susan Kaeser moved to Cleveland in 1976 to join the staff of the Cleveland City Planning Commission. Drawn to its vibrant civic life and the opportunity to live and raise their children in an integrated community, she and her husband Jerry Blake moved to Cleveland Heights in 1979. For 17 years Kaeser directed Reaching Heights, the community-based resource for the Heights schools. She is active with the League of Women Voters Ohio and the Heights Coalition for Public Education. She has served on the boards of the Heights Community Congress, the Home Repair Resource Center, and Parents for Public Schools. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, she is a graduate of Grinnell College and has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and an MA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has two grown children who are graduates of the Heights schools. The former journalist writes a monthly column in the Heights Observer called The Common Good.