Segregated From Opportunity

The pattern of segregated neighborhoods first started in the Jim Crow era, where policies passed by the Federal Government would dictate where African Americans could live. Housing segregation is still evident today through weak enforcement of federal civil rights. Before reading the Washington Post article Segregated From Opportunity, I knew that decades of government sanctioned housing discrimination is what ultimately leads to racially segregated neighborhoods. However, after reading Segregated From Opportunity, I learned about the ongoing effects of The Federal Fair Housing Act. This innovative act, passed by congress in 1968, introduced a federal enforcement law which prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or national origin in regard to housing. The Federal Fair Housing Act encompasses a wide range of discrimination such as bias towards minorities who are seeking housing assistance or a mortgage. However, despite the efforts of the Federal Government to facilitate integration, African Americans still remain the most segregated community in the United States. 

 Red lining, a form of systematic denial, contributes to the cycle of perpetuating racial and economic inequality within segregated neighborhoods. Based on community demographics, Red Lining is a discriminatory practice when a landowner refuses a loan to someone who is at financial risk. Discriminatory practices such as these limit the buying options of African Americans.  In 2015, The Texas Legislature passed a law that would prohibit cities from adopting ordinances that would have barred landlords from denying renters based on income source. This is only made worse by the persistent wage gap between White and Black households. In addition to redlining, current day residential segregation is caused by exclusionary zoning practices which lead to higher concentrations of poverty. These neighborhoods are exposed to greater volumes of crime and policing. Children raised in these neighborhoods are more likely to be zoned to poorly funded and performing schools. Thus leading to lower academic achievement and a lower probability of higher learning. 

Possible solutions for affordable housing is to offer incentives and promote local neighborhood revitalization. State incentives, which are supplemental to federal ones, issue credits to developers for the construction and rehabilitation of rental housing targeted to lower-income households. Neighborhood Revitalization is when the government focuses their energies on areas such as safety, transportation, health, education and economic opportunities.  Not only do both these options increase employment, but they also attract private investment. Combining incentives with revitalization change will change the socioeconomic characteristics of segregated communities for years to come.