It's been over a century since the start of the Great Migration, where thousands of African Americans traveled to northern cities like Youngstown, looking for a better life and higher-paying jobs.

YSU Program Advisor Michael Beverly says those who traveled north found out life wasn't all that different.

"Some of them were disillusioned when they came to the northern cities because they found segregation in the north also."

"You had separate entrances to businesses, to restaurants," said Traci Manning, curator of education at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center. "You had separate entrances to movie theaters, and not only separate entrances, but most African Americans would have to sit in a different part of the movie theater."

The racial divide also took place in the workforce, especially in the steel mills. There, most blacks, many who were uneducated, were stuck in unskilled labor jobs.

"So the higher-ups used that as an excuse for the most part, for them to stay in the unskilled labor [jobs], so they didn't make as much money as their white counterparts at that time," added Beverly. "So, the reality was there was still differences between blacks and whites."

Fast forward to today and many of the same problems still exist.

"You're still going to go to certain parts of the city, and really, those neighborhoods are going to be all black," Beverly said. "You may still have some white schools on the west side of Youngstown, but for the most part, east side, south side and north side are predominately African American."

Michael and Traci both believe to mitigate this issue, it starts with education. More importantly, as history has proven, a real conversation.

"To just say this isn't a problem and that racism doesn't exist, you're putting up blinders and you're covering ears," Manning said. "So I think we have to start listening."

Beverly adds, "You had people during the Civil Rights Movement like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and people like that who were protesting. They talked about it. They kept it out and at the forefront of the news that {racism} is wrong, so we have to talk about those things and come up with those solutions."