By Josh Solomon
ST. PETERSBURG — The takeaways from a study presented at Thursday’s St. Petersburg City Council meeting weren’t particularly surprising: Structural racism exists in the city. And it has for a long time.
Inequality and segregation have been longstanding issues in St. Petersburg, where only decades ago redlining forced African Americans to live in certain areas and where Central Avenue served to bifurcate the city. Those historic wrongs, and others, have a strong and persistent legacy today, according to the study.
Black residents in the city earn less than white residents, even at similar education attainment levels. Black residents are more likely to live in poverty. And those who live in the poorer and Blacker census tracts, like along 22nd Avenue S, have a life expectancy more than eight years shorter than the rest of Pinellas County.
