Redlining Research Paper

Words: 1296
Pages: 6

To understand redlining and what we can do to help fix the effects of it, we must first understand that redlining was a discriminatory practice that involved color-coding maps to classify communities based on perceived hazards, such as race and socioeconomic status. It was started in the 1930s by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the United States. The term "redlining" originated from outlining high-risk areas in red ink on these maps, resulting in limited access to loans for communities with predominantly black and minority populations. Despite laws formally ending redlining in the late 1960s, its consequences persist. The discriminatory distribution of resources based on redlining maps has led to environmental injustices and displacement …show more content…
According to Richard Rothstein's influential book, "The Color of Law," two opposing viewpoints emerge about who is to blame for the segregation that exists in modern society. According to one viewpoint, segregation results from personal choices and market forces, placing the responsibility on personal prejudices and private behavior. Rothstein, however, disputes this claim by highlighting the structural part created by laws that encourage segregation. He makes the case that the government, especially the federal, state, and local ones, was largely responsible for the development and upholding of discriminatory housing laws like redlining. In "The Color of Law," Rothstein explains how zoning regulations and other government-approved activities, such as discriminatory lending practices, systematically disadvantaged minority areas. In his book, he writes, “If school boards had not placed schools and drawn attendance boundaries to ensure the separation of black and white pupils, families might not have had to relocate to have access to education for their children (217)”. The quote highlights how school boards, in particular, have played a deliberate role in dividing white and black students by setting attendance limits and assigning them to different schools. It …show more content…
In "The Color of Law," Richard Rothstein presents a comprehensive strategy to address the long-term effects of redlining and suggests a number of unique solutions. Purchasing properties in wealthy neighborhoods and offering them at reasonable costs to low-income families, especially POC families, is one approach. By ensuring the availability of access to neighborhoods with greater resources, this effort seeks to eliminate obstacles to geographic segregation and give underprivileged people better opportunities for healthcare, work, and education. Furthermore, Rothstein is an advocate for including teachings in the curriculum at schools about the background and effects of redlining. Future generations can be educated about the structural inequities of housing discrimination, which will help society develop a greater understanding and compassion for the ongoing problems that marginalized populations confront. Rothstein emphasizes the importance of education in Section 2, where he exclaims, “If middle and high school students are being taught a false history, is it any wonder that they come to believe that African Americans are segregated only because they don’t want to marry or because they prefer to live only among themselves? Is it any wonder that they grow up inclined to think that programs to ameliorate