Summer 1987, Chapter 2 Summary

This chapter provides a background on Pharoah and Lafeyette's family and environment. It describes the history of the Governor Henry Horner Homes, which the children call "Hornets," the projects, or "jects." The neighborhood was once one of the wealthiest areas in Chicago until Jane Adam's renowned Hull House signaled the beginning of the demise. Over the next century the diverse middle class population fled to the suburbs while businesses and manufacturing jobs moved and employment opportunities dwindled. Many African American migrated to the neighborhood from the South in the 1940s and before long the area was predominantly black and poor. By 1987, a few financially impoverished clinics and youth centers exist but are ill-equipped to cope with the intense poverty, drugs, gang violence, and health and educational needs of the residents. There are few general services such as stores or banks. There...