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Ghetto: The History of a Word

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By Daniel B. Schwartz ’97

Published Sept. 25, 2019

The history and impact of the word “ghetto” reach as far back as 1516 Rome and continues to be used today. Schwartz explores the word's etymology and discuses everything from the segregation of Jews in 16th-century Rome, which brought the word into popular usage, to its current use that often refers to impoverished neighborhoods.

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Terri Sewell ’86 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, stands next to a portrait of civil rights leader John Lewis.
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