Racism, Prejudice And Discrimination In Medieval Europe

Prejudice and discrimination have been prevalent issues for thousands of years. There have always been in-groups and out-groups, as well as differentiation between them. In Medieval Europe the relationship was between serfs & lords, and in current times it is now between Caucasians and the minoritized groups. This is now referred to as racism and has many facets. Racism encompasses prejudice, discrimination, as well as differences socially, economically and professionally. In this situation – sadly – some people are winners, and some people are losers. Racism is the prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. Racism is based on a system of oppression …show more content…
In 1990, only 37% of the suburbs were populated by blacks, while the number in 2010 was up to 51% (Melting Pot Cities and Suburbs). William Levitt, an early suburb developer, explicitly excluded nonwhites from his development. Home leases for Levittown read: “The tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be used or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race, but the employment and maintenance of other than Caucasian domestic servants shall be permitted.” (LEVITTOWN, L.I., AT 40) The Federal Government participated in overt racial discrimination as well. The Federal Housing Commission granted bank loans with lower interest rates to developers and builders if they guaranteed that no homes in that subdivision would be sold to African Americans (Historian Says…). Similarly, the 1930’s Federal loan program – operating under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) – practiced redlining, which was “denying or limiting financial services to certain neighborhoods based on racial or ethnic composition without regard to the residents’ qualifications or creditworthiness.” (1934–1968) The FHA color coded neighborhoods and ranked them based on their “inharmonious racial … groups,” which were outlined in red (1934–1968). Those who resided in the red – usually minorities – were usually denied home loans. Communities of color were quite literally “red-lined.” Another discriminatory real estate practice performed by real estate agents was steering, which was the practice of “[guiding] prospective home buyers towards or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race.” (Racial Steering) This practice guaranteed racial homogeneity within a neighborhood and is now illegal. Redlining and steering are examples of how institutionalized racism benefitted whites in the early and mid-twentieth

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Racism, Prejudice And Discrimination In Medieval Europe

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