ABSTRACT
In the 1970s, the Rockford civil community became nationally known as a base of the then-new political right. Obviously, Rock-ford is still located physically in the same place that it was in 1960, but the passage of time has shifted that location from being part of northwestern Illinois, more closely akin to the Quad Cities, to location at the far edge of northeastern Illinois and Chicagoland. The location reflects Rockford's new economic reality. The economic fortunes of Rockford during the 1970s and 1980s were symptomatic of those experienced by cities located in the Rustbelt region in general. For the African American community, the increase in numbers has been translated into political clout. African American representatives occupy two seats on the City Council and two seats on the Winnebago County Board. As is the case in many other medium-sized cities, regional shopping malls and strip shopping centers decimated Rockford's Central Business District.
