In The Color of Law: In The Color of Law: The Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, author Richard Rothstein painstakingly details how the policies of government, developers and mortgage lenders have divided this country over the past century, determining which race can live where.
This award-winning book changes the conversation about how housing discrimination persists to this day. People of color who were denied the opportunity to become homeowners decades ago are still suffering the consequences. Unlike their white peers, they are prohibited from accumulating wealth through homeownership that could have been passed on to future generations.
In his next book, Rothstein writes about what everyday people can do to combat the legacy of segregation, in collaboration with his daughter, Leah Rothstein." Just Action: How to Challenge Apartheid Enacted Under the Color of Law was published last month. Leah has a background of working as a community and union organizer and as a consultant to affordable housing developers and local governments.
Realtor.com® spoke with Leah about how segregation persists to this day and what readers can do to fight housing discrimination. Her responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
How are the effects of segregation and other forms of housing discrimination evident in our lives today?
Today, every metropolitan area across the country is racially segregated, with some communities being all or almost all white and others all or almost all African-American. This is not just a benign separation of people. It is also a separation of resources.
White communities have always had better resources than African-American communities. They have better resourced schools, less pollution and lead paint, more grocery stores selling fresh food, more bank branches, more open spaces, transportation options, and access to jobs.
Because of this segregation of people and resources, black children living in segregated communities grow up with poorer health, education, and income outcomes than white [children]. They grow up with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer and shorter life expectancy than whites, in large part because of the neighborhoods in which they live.
In the mid-20th century, government policy subsidized white homeowners to purchase homes when they were affordable. [Government policy also] explicitly prohibited African Americans from doing the same thing. As a result, these white families were able to build wealth through the appreciation of their homes, which they could then pass on to their children. [However, African-Americans were prohibited from accumulating wealth in the same way.
As a result, today, while the average African-American household income is 60% of that of a white household, the average African-American household wealth is only 5% of that of a white household. This wealth gap has been created by government policies and continues to limit the ability of African Americans to purchase homes and where they can live.
What has changed since "The Color of Law" was published in 2017?
"The Color of Law" dispels the myth that our country is "de facto" or accidentally segregated because of private behavior or personal preference. Through example after example, my father, Richard Rothstein, demonstrates that segregation is created and maintained by explicit and intentional actions at all levels of government-local, state, and federal-to ensure that blacks and whites do not live together. Because so many people have read this book, this myth of de facto segregation is not as prevalent as it once was.
We now better understand the true history of how our communities were segregated: through the unconstitutional actions of the government. When we understand that, we understand that we have an obligation to do something about it - to challenge segregation and remedy the harm it caused.
We wrote Justice in Action to provide examples of the dozens of policies and strategies we can adopt at the local level to begin to challenge and remedy segregation.
Do you believe that the effects of segregation and housing discrimination can be overcome?
Where we live affects many aspects of our lives, and patterns of living are difficult to change. But it is not impossible to change them. That's why we wrote Action for Justice to show that there is a lot that can be done to make an impact on segregation and housing discrimination. It's not overwhelming, and we should throw up our hands and do nothing.
In fact, there are many strategies that are being successfully implemented in communities across the country. We are very purposefully focused on what can be done at the local level. We are so polarized at the federal level that we don't believe we have the federal political will to enact these changes nationwide. But we can build that political will on the ground by talking to our neighbors, understanding the issues, and taking action to change policies and practices.
Moreover, while the federal government played a large role in creating segregation, it was largely local policies that continued to maintain and perpetuate segregation once it was established. Groups working on local issues can have a great deal of influence in challenging segregation by focusing on these local policies.
What actions can everyday people take to fight the effects of housing discrimination and segregation?
There are many actions we can take. First, we need to form bi-racial, multi-racial groups within our own communities. To do this, we need to take the additional steps necessary to overcome the barriers to building cross-racial relationships. [These groups] can campaign for inclusive zoning policies that require new housing developments to include affordable units and advocate for African-Americans to have priority in purchasing or renting these units.
They can support community land trusts that create permanent affordable homeownership opportunities and can prevent displacement in urbanizing communities. They can advocate for making discrimination against people who receive federal rental subsidies illegal, and then support efforts to ensure that anti-discrimination laws are enforced. They can work with local banks to reform the way they calculate credit scores to reduce the discriminatory impact on African-Americans and provide African-Americans with greater access to homeownership opportunities. They can start or support down payment assistance funds for African American homebuyers.
They can put pressure on local governments and agencies to support fair housing centers to monitor and enforce anti-discrimination laws. They can support legislation to protect renters from unjust evictions and start programs that provide legal counseling for low-income tenants facing eviction. They can advocate for changes in zoning laws to allow for more diverse and affordable housing options in exclusive communities.
What actions can everyday people take to fight the effects of housing discrimination and segregation?
There are many actions we can take. First, we need to form bi-racial, multi-racial groups within our own communities. To do this, we need to take the additional steps necessary to overcome the barriers to building cross-racial relationships. [These groups] can campaign for inclusive zoning policies that require new housing developments to include affordable units and advocate for African-Americans to have priority in purchasing or renting these units.
They can support community land trusts that create permanent affordable homeownership opportunities and can prevent displacement in urbanizing communities. They can advocate for making discrimination against people who receive federal rental subsidies illegal, and then support efforts to ensure that anti-discrimination laws are enforced. They can work with local banks to reform the way they calculate credit scores to reduce the discriminatory impact on African-Americans and provide African-Americans with greater access to homeownership opportunities. They can start or support down payment assistance funds for African American homebuyers.
They can put pressure on local governments and agencies to support fair housing centers to monitor and enforce anti-discrimination laws. They can support legislation to protect renters from unjust evictions and start programs that provide legal counseling for low-income tenants facing eviction. They can advocate for changes in zoning laws to allow for more diverse and affordable housing options in exclusive communities.
These are just a few of the many examples we describe in Action for Justice. There are many more examples. Which action a local group starts with will depend on the unique opportunities and challenges in their community, but there is no shortage of strategic options to pursue or support. We just need to get started.
