Introduction | West Side Neighbors | Dr. Juliet Saltman | National Neighbors | Conclusion
Conclusion
Unfortunately, West Side Neighbors, Inc. was unable to maintain an integrated West Akron. A 1993 Akron Beacon Journal article about segregation in Akron noted that white flight continued in West Akron despite WSN’s efforts over the years. In 1950, the Maple Valley area of West Akron was more than 90 percent white. Forty years later, the population was 75 percent Black, and had become the home of more than half of Akron’s Black population. WSN’s failed attempt brought tears to Saltman’s eyes as “she and her colleagues in the West Side Neighbors organization, despite 25 years of effort, had simply failed in their campaign to prove that integration could work [in West Akron].” Despite losing the battle, Saltman felt that WSN had at least slowed down resegregation of the neighborhood. She blamed forces beyond their control, including public school attendance zones, subsidized rental units in the area, and the overall struggling economy.
Residential segregation continues to be an issue in West Akron today. The West Akron Neighborhood Plan published in 2024 by Progressive Alliance Community Development Corporation reported that in 2022, 75 percent of residents identified as Black, which was a decrease from 81 percent in 2010. Based on this data, the study of residential segregation is still relevant and arguably needed even more today.
This digital exhibition offers only a brief introduction to the history and operation of West Side Neighbors, Inc. and the history of integration in Akron as well as some of the contents of the West Side Neighbors, Inc. Records at The University of Akron Archives and Special Collections of University Libraries. Ultimately more research is needed on West Side Neighbors, National Neighbors, and residential and school integration efforts in Akron.
Other relevant archival collections in The University of Akron Archives and Special Collections include:
- City of Akron, Office of the Mayor, John S. Ballard Records
- City of Akron, Office of the Mayor, Roy L. Ray Records
- City of Akron, Office of the Mayor, Thomas C. Sawyer Records
- Fair Housing Contact Service Records
- Julian Suso Papers
- Juliet Saltman Papers
This exhibition was created in Fall 2024 by Melanie Mohler as part of her capstone project for the MA in the Applied History and Public Humanities program at The University of Akron.
If you would like to consult the West Side Neighbors, Inc. Records for research and study, please schedule an appointment to visit The University of Akron Archives and Special Collections.
Do you have information you can share about the West Side Neighbors, or any of the other people or organizations represented in this digital exhibition? If so, please contact The University of Akron Archives and Special Collections at 330-972-7670 or archives@uakron.edu.