Inside Stories Web Extras ... Find A Copy Double Dutch: The Beat Goes on Despite City Funding Setback By: Veronica Anderson The plastic-coated clothesline beats a steady rhythm on the hot sidewalk. Two girls set the pace; knees bouncing and shoulders swaying, as they face each other and wind circles with their arms in perfect synch. Facing two rapidly twirling ropes, a third girl hops inside, matching the corded arches as they alternately pass over her head and under her feet. They sing rhymes in accompaniment.
For generations, the pulse of rope against concrete punctuated by syncopated jumping has drawn African American girls in Chicago outside to play. The age-old children's game is still played here by loose gatherings of black girls on school playgrounds and neighborhood sidewalks. As they show off their fancy footwork and try to outjump each other, they get exercise, stay out of trouble, and have fun.
Five years ago, double dutch became more of an organized activity when the Chicago Department of Human Services co-sponsored "Summer Jump," one of several programs that encouraged inner city youth to compete in their neighborhoods and in an annual citywide contest at Daley Center Plaza. But the ropes stopped turning in 1989 when the double dutch contests, along with other city-funded youth activities, were eliminated by Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration in favor of funding programs run by community-based organizations.
"It wasn't just a rope jumping contest," said former DHS Commissioner Judith Walker. "It was an alternative in many ways for the girls. Kids with nothing to do are more likely to get in trouble than kids who have something to do." | |
|
