Something I have recently read about was that there are many people of color who are homeless and that even in our current society some cities are still severely separated by race. This peaked my interest and I began to do some research as to why this could be the case. What I found was disturbing, but not surprising knowing the dark history of America. My interest in this topic led to me learning about redlining which is the denial of a loan or financial assistance to people because the area in which they live is deemed an area of financial risk. This is one of the many policies that even though they are no longer in place their effects continue to be seen in current society. Redlining is an example of systemic injustice because it is a policy that serves as a method of keeping people of color under while enabling white Americans to prosper as it is the communities in which minorities live that are deemed of financial risk thus preventing them from being given loans. On the other hand communities where whites live are rarely considered of financial risk thus enabling them to be given loans and allowing them to prosper and become homeowners. Not only does this policy cause homelessness but it also causes severe racial separations in cities, an effect we still see today as in many cities in the United States there is a clear division in which areas minorities live in and which areas whites live in. This policy is one of the many policies the United States has enforced to keep the privileged at the top and cause minorities to continue suffering, the segregation of the cities due to redlining led to even more division and more hindrances to the opportunities of minorities to make any progress. Redlining was a policy established a long time ago, and even though it is no longer in place the effects of the policy as well as the thinking the policy left behind continues to hinder progress in today’s society. This reminded me of a particular quote from the Letter From Birmingham Jail that we analyzed earlier this semester. In his letter to the white clergymen Dr. King emphasizes that Black people are tired and frustrated about being told to wait for change because the word wait essentially means never. He states “For years now I have heard the word wait. It rings in the head of every negro with a piercing familiarity. This wait has almost always meant never.” This quote applies to this policy because for years this policy has not been in place yet we still see a massive discrepancy on homelessness and we still have segregated cities and no apparent urgent policies to undo the errors of previous horrendous policies. Years have passed and the black community has still not received equity making Dr. King’s words resonate more and this eternal wait for equity and justice appears to be never ending.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2019/08/07/472617/systemic-inequality-displacement-exclusion-segregation/
I really enjoyed reading your Context-Research presentation this week! I actually did not truly understand the meaning of Redlining prior to reading your presentation. It was shocking to learn that Redlining often happens because of the status associated with the area in which an individual lives in. I had previously thought that it referring to racial gerrymandering, a process that also discriminates against of color living in certain areas. I’m glad you decided to bring attention to this issue, because it is definitely an aspect that is oftentimes overlooked in our modern society.
I really enjoyed your post as this idea was one of my systematic injustice posts. I totally agree with you that the current system in place is disadvantaging minorities and feeding into giving white neighborhoods even more privilege, this is fueling the problem. Minorities, especially blacks have been suffering from this for decades and despite the efforts to get out of this situation, the system is working against them causing them to be trapped in these neighborhoods. The system needs to be completely reworked to give minorities a fair chance and the chance they deserve to be like everyone else, respected and given loans based on their credit score, not where they live.
Hi! I as well wrote about redlining for one of my Diary of Systematic Injustices. Prior to my research, I was unaware that people, specifically people of color are restricted from getting loans. I appreciate you highlighting this as it needs to known so that it can be removed. The graphs that you provided were very informative and eye-opening. Individuals should not be restricted from buying a home or getting a loan because of the color of their skin. As more efforts come forward such as Black Lives Matter, I am hopeful that these injustices are reduced, or better yet eliminated.
After reading your assignment, I agree with your points and ideas. In many cities in the United States, there are apparent differences between areas where ethnic minorities live and places where white people live. This policy is one of many policies implemented by the United States to maintain privileges and cause minorities to continue to suffer. Simultaneously, I think the system needs to be completely redesigned so that minorities have a fair chance and The due opportunity is like everyone else.
After reading your post, I totally agree with your statement. Black people have lower annual salary on average than white people. Covid-19 highlight the problem of injustice. In addition, I am surprised by your two datas, because so many people have experienced racial discrimination. Also, I see minorities has much lower house ownership than majorities in the United States, so thus they have poor financial situation. I believe the policy you proposed in the post would alleviate the house ownership gap between races. The system should be justice for all people, and everyone deserves fair chance. Thank you for your post!
I am so glad to see you wrote about this, I too wrote about the redlining as well as residential lending. I agree with your points. I would also like to add in the part about the minorities and how unfair and injustice it is that we are okay as a nation lending to places that already have money and well upkeep but we are not okay with repairing and rebuilding the places that are not. It truly makes no sense to me and I do not understand. The fact that banks/lenders actually put red lines on a map to show places they would not give money to because they are basically too bad off is sickening to me. We as a nation need to help build up every part of our country bad good and worse.