Like other industrial cities in the postwar period, Chicago underwent the dramatic population shifts that radically changed the complexion of the urban north. As African American populations grew and white communities declined throughout the 1960s and '70s, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans migrated to the city, adding a complex layer to local racial dynamics.
"Brown in the Windy City" is the first history to examine the migration and settlement of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in the postwar era. Here, Lilia Fernandez reveals how the two populations arrived in Chicago in the midst of tremendous social and economic change and, in the midst of declining industrial employment and massive urban renewal projects, managed to carve out a geographic and racial place in one of America's great cities. Over the course of these three decades, through their experiences in the city's central neighborhoods, Fernandez demonstrates how Mexicans and Puerto Ricans collectively articulated a distinct racial position in Chicago, one that was flexible and fluid, neither black nor white.
Reviews
"A work of striking originality, scope, and nuance, 'Brown in the City' provides the most comprehensive treatment of the entwined histories of ethnic Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Chicago. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Fernandez's study marks a major intervention in the history of race and racialization, urban history, and interdisciplinary Latino studies scholarship" – David G. Gutierrez, University of California, San Diego
"With astute attention to the parallel trajectories and overlapping nature of Mexican Americans' and Puerto Ricans' histories, Lilia Fernandez paints a rich portrait of neighborhood life, moving beyond broad strokes and the white-black racial binary. Told with detail, substance, and nuance, 'Brown in the Windy City' is an important story that is likely to become a foundational book" – Carmen Teresa Whalen, "From Puerto Rico to Philadelphia: Puerto Rican Workers and Postwar Economies"
"Lilia Fernandez's 'Brown in the Windy City' is a rich, historically-nuanced examination of the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped the formation of Chicago's Puerto Rican and ethnic Mexican community. In pointing our attention to this history, Fernandez's careful examination of the process of displacement, neighborhood change, and public housing construction unveils how Puerto Ricans and, at times, Mexicans disturbed the racial hierarchy and destabilized the rigid housing color line in Chicago. 'Brown in the Windy City' is a valuable contribution to Latino History, urban history, and immigration history" – Adrian Burgos, Jr., University of Illinois
"'Brown in the Windy City' portrays the struggle of Puerto Ricans and Mexicans as they made their way to a postwar Chicago already bifurcated by race. Neither black nor white, these newcomers carved an important place for themselves in the city's social, economic, and political sphere. Their experiences both overlapped and diverged as they settled in the inner city and developed into an important component in the city's life while struggling with unresolved issues of integration and economic development. 'Brown in the Windy City' explores these matters in subtle and instructive ways shedding light on the immigrant experience and the development of community in an urban post-industrial setting" – Dominic Pacyga, author of "Chicago: A Biography"
