How Benton Harbor and St. Joseph were divided by design

About the book

Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan, are on opposite banks of the St. Joseph River, on the shore of Lake Michigan. Although in the 1950s the towns were called the Twin Cities, they are far from identical now.

While St. Joseph’s population is about 85% white with just 7% living below the poverty level, Benton Harbor’s residents are over 80% Black and over 40% live in poverty. (2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.) But both towns had booming downtowns and lots of factory jobs in the mid-twentieth century. So, what happened?

Locals point to white flight as the cause, but it’s only one cause, and it’s also a result. This book tells a truer story about how the civic and economic powers made choices about urban renewal, annexation, housing, school system boundaries and economic development. Those choices hoarded opportunities in St. Joseph and pushed costs onto Benton Harbor and the Black families who lived there.

By the 1970s, the cities were divided by design. This is the story of that design—what it cost Benton Harbor and what St. Joseph lost, too.

About me

I’m a fifth-generation daughter of these two towns. My parents grew up in Benton Harbor, but like many white children here in the 1960s, I was raised in St. Joseph. I was unaware that I lived inside a system set up to benefit and protect me, while disadvantaging the Black community of Benton Harbor.

My growing awareness led me to become a licensed social worker and earn a master’s degree in public administration, in the hope that helping individuals improve their health, employment, and education could make things better for the people of Benton Harbor. The more I tried, the more I realized the truth of the saying, “You can only pull so many people out of the river before you head upstream to see who keeps throwing them in.” In this book I have turned my focus from addressing the problems caused by systemic racism to showing how white structures and institutions created those problems.

I'm not writing this book to make money. After printing and promotion costs, I'll donate my proceeds to a community foundation for the benefit of the residents of Benton Harbor.

Sharing your story

The book chronicles what happened here in the 1950s and 1960s, relying on the people who lived this history to say what it meant.

If you lived, worked, or went to school in either town during those years, you have a story to tell. Please get in touch for an interview.

Every interview starts with a written consent form. Here is what it promises:

Recording

Interviews are recorded with your permission.

Your name

You choose how you're identified: by name, without your name, or as background only. Background only means I use what you share to understand the history, but I don't quote you.

Review

Before the book is final, I'll show you every passage that quotes you or describes your experience. If you'd rather I not use something you said, I'll remove it.

Withdrawing

You can withdraw at any time before the manuscript is final.

The archive

Your interview goes to a local history archive only if you say yes, and not until after the book is published. You can also ask that it be kept private until a year you choose.