Let's Talk About Race: Racial Covenants and Redlining

There is a ton of history that has been either neglected or misconstrued for decades, and these deficiencies shape how we look at the world. Here is one example.

If you are a fan of letting a free market solve problems and believe that people can and should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, I want you to consider that the "free" markets have actually been rigged for years. Two striking examples of this are racial covenants and redlining. 

Racial Covenants

Racial covenants were tools used by real estate developers to prevent people of color from buying or occupying property. Often just a few lines of text, these covenants were inserted into warranty deeds across the country. -- Mapping Prejudice

Redlining

Redlining was the practice of outlining areas with sizable Black populations in red ink on maps as a warning to mortgage lenders, effectively isolating Black people in areas that would suffer lower levels of investment than their white counterparts. -- Brookings Institution

Why are these things big deals? On one side, they made it much easier for white families to acquire real estate, which is a key aspect of wealth building. On the other side, it made it virtually impossible for black families to pull themselves out of their tough financial situations. These systems created cycles of low property values that led to under-performing schools and businesses, which fed the low-wealth cycle. 

Here are some resources that can help you dig into this poorly known history. 

Articles:

• NPR: A 'Forgotten History' Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America
• Washington Post: To fix our cities, we must reckon with our racist urban past
• Washington Post: Redlining was banned 50 years ago. It’s still hurting minorities today
• City Lab: How the Fair Housing Act Failed Black Homeowners
• The Guardian (via Pocket) has Housing Market Racism Persists Despite ‘Fair Housing’ Laws

Maps/Interactives allow you to dig into the background and maps for your home town.

• Mapping Inequality
• Mapping Prejudice

Teachers might appreciate these education resources:

• Zinn Education Project: How Red Lines Built White Wealth: A Lesson on Housing Segregation in the 20th Century
• Segregated By Design

After barring the doors of prosperity to almost all blacks for close to a century after emancipation, the system can now use economic status (without regard to color) to ensure the continuation of the system's desired effect (e.g., through school district boundaries and funding).