Author Archives: Diana Young

Blog Post #2: “Bottoms Up”

“Bottoms Up”
reflections by Carl C. Anthony

I spent the early years of my childhood in a Philadelphia neighborhood called the “Black Bottom,” or simply the “Bottom” – a predominantly poor and black neighborhood built on a drained swamp. In blatant contrast, the neighborhood where the white people lived was called the “Top.” Many years later, I learned from a prominent professor of landscape architecture and urban planning that in Philadelphia and in many other cities across the country, the poorest people – primarily blacks and immigrants – had no choice but to live in undesirable low-lying locations. Such disparity continues to exist. It is an example of what we call “environmental racism.”  Continue reading

Blog Post #1: Introducing the Book

Introducing The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race by Carl C. Anthony

Since boyhood I dreamed of writing a book with solutions to racial inequities plaguing urban African Americans. Over the years my perspective has grown broader and more clear. My book seems to be reaching publication at a good time.

The Urban Environment

Cities have grown and changed dramatically during the past few centuries. Careful examination reveals how slavery and exploitation fueled that growth. More and more stories are coming to light of how the enforced labor of people of color built the infrastructure and economy of the modern world.  Continue reading