Mary Pattillo

First published in 1999, "Black Picket Fences" explores the intersection of race and class in a middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Mary Pattillo uses her fieldwork to demonstrate how even middle-class Black families remain deeply affected by segregation, poverty, and crime in surrounding areas.

Mary Pattillo is an American sociologist whose research examines the complexities of race, social class, housing, and urban policy within Black communities. Her work provides critical insights into how residential segregation and economic inequalities persist across different social strata.

Yes, Pattillo's later book, "Black on the Block," delves into the politics of housing redevelopment and public education in North Kenwood-Oakland, Chicago. She analyzes how Black middle-class residents act as brokers between the real estate market and lower-income residents.

Mary Pattillo is a prominent academic who holds an endowed chair as the Harold Washington Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. Her esteemed position at Northwestern highlights her significant contributions to the fields of African American studies and urban sociology.