We are an interracial team of creatives telling the unusual story of Park Forest, IL: Was the racial harmony children experienced growing up there real? The answer we got was complicated.

Some kids, especially during the 1960s and ’70s, faced racism their white classmates were not aware of. But many, including numerous Black students, remember a childhood they described as utopian — despite racist incidents. Our simplistic storyline shifted, and we began to explore how this paradox affected their overall experience.

After 75 interviews, we discovered a compelling story arc that answered the question more deeply. Starting around 1972, Park Forest children — Black, white, Latino and Asian — experienced race relations in a way they have found virtually nowhere else. This so-called “utopia” peaked in about 1986.

How it happened was another story. In 1959, the town adopted the formal policy of protecting the rights of Black people to move into Park Forest and live safely. Leaders eventually kept a map of the races of every homeowner and used the map to ask real estate agents to steer buyers to keep neighborhoods integrated — a practice ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.