Far Southeast Side
South Deering's foundations were built on steel production and other industries, and the community flourished for a number of years. However, a decade of violence broke out in 1953 when an African American family moved into the Trumbull Park homes in South Deering.
Although African Americans had been working in the factories, they worked less-desirable jobs and did not reside in South Deering. Civil rights legislation brought an end to the segregation of jobs and housing, opening access to African Americans.
The neighborhood was shaken again by the abrupt close of International Harvester in March of 1980 due to a number of bad financial decisions. Workers lost almost all their benefits, and hundreds of residents were left jobless. People reacted to the devastation in a number of ways. In 1988 International Harvester settled to pay back $14.8 million of the $85 million of money from benefits, offering little satisfaction to the hundreds of affected families forced to find new employment outside of Chicago.
Let us not lose heart in doing good...we shall reap if we do not grow weary. - Galatians 6:9
information courtesy of Moody Publishers
"Chicago Neighborhood Prayer Guide" by Dr. John Fuder with Elizabeth Koenig