What is "white flight"

White flight is a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of people of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. The term has more recently been applied to other migrations by whites, from older, inner suburbs to rural areas, as well as from the US Northeast and Midwest to the milder climate in the Southeast and Southwest. The term has also been used for large-scale post-colonial emigration of whites from Africa, or parts of that continent, driven by levels of violent crime and anti-colonial state policies.

Migration of middle-class white populations was observed during the 1950s and 1960s out of cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, and Oakland, although racial segregation of public schools had ended there long before the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. In the 1970s, attempts to achieve effective desegregation by means of forced busing in some areas led to more families' moving out of former areas. More generally, some historians suggest that white flight occurred in response to population pressures, both from the large migration of blacks from the rural South to northern cities in the Great Migration and the waves of new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. However, some historians have challenged the phrase "white flight" as a misnomer whose use should be reconsidered. In her study of Chicago's West Side during the post-war era, historian Amanda Seligman argues that the phrase misleadingly suggests that whites immediately departed when blacks moved into the neighborhood, when in fact, many whites defended their space with violence, intimidation, or legal tactics.

The business practices of redlining, mortgage discrimination, and racially restrictive covenants contributed to the overcrowding and physical deterioration of areas where minorities chose to congregate. Such conditions are considered to have contributed to the emigration of other populations. The limited facilities for banking and insurance, due to a perceived lack of profitability, and other social services, and extra fees meant to hedge against perceived profit issues increased their cost to residents in predominantly non-white suburbs and city neighborhoods. According to the environmental geographer Laura Pulido, the historical processes of suburbanization and urban decentralization contribute to contemporary environmental racism.

White Flight is the solo project of Justin Roelofs, long time musician and former singer/songwriter/guitarist for The Anniversary. White Flight is both the album name and his artist name. Justin recorded "White Flight" at both a former neighbor and long-time childhood friend's house in Overland Park, KS and several locations around Lawrence, KS.

"White Flight" is an assembly of sounds, both electronic and vocal. Justin recorded the sounds shortly after returning from what he describes as an enlightening exploration of traditional medicinal and hallucinogenic plants in the jungle of Peru. Justin had never performed any of the project's music live and left the United States prior to the album's release; he has subsequently returned and performed live as White Flight.

The album was originally released for download only, complete with album art and a 'making of' video from the label Range Life Records. Range Life Records, created by long-time friend Zach Hangauer, became distributed by Saddle Creek Records in February 2007, making "White Flight" widely available through online retailers and the iTunes Store.

On February 26, 2007, Pitchfork Media gave the album a 5.5 out of 10, claiming that the album lacks substance, suffers from "hippie poetry", and is woefully disjointed. The review does praise the album as having "some genuinely interesting moments," however.

In 2009, an album was leaked online entitled "White Ark." Since this album was never released officially, it does not appear with the Discography section.

A single from "White Ark", entitled "Panther", was released January 2010 on Range Life Records.

Another single, "Children of the Light" was also released by Range Life Records in 2010. This single featured the songs "Children of the Light" and "Thunder Over Thunder," both from White Ark.

In 2014, White Flight recorded with E*vax (of Ratatat) a self-titled album called ABUELA. A song called Sapa was released for free on SoundCloud, and the True Colors single came out in February 2014 on the label Canvasback. This single included the songs "True Colors," and "Honeybeez."