The Stain of Housing Segregation in Modern America

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The Stain of Housing Segregation in Modern America 


Redlining or housing segregation which was initially introduced in the 1930s was yet another discriminatory policy in U.S. history, mainly aimed at color-coding residential properties. Minorities such as African Americans mainly suffered the consequences of this inhumane treatment by the real estate industry. Some of the consequences of this policy included being denied access to affordable housing due to excuses such as credit scores, being discriminated against because of their race, being exposed to unhealthy environments, being denied of living in a safe and clean neighborhood, having higher morbidity and mortality rates due to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, and having to deal with racist stereotypes from other people while also being denied of getting mortgages. Historically, African Americans have been mistreated by U.S. lawmakers solely because of their race and skin color. For example, if we look at the Jim Crow laws which prohibited people of color from being in the same neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and even restaurants as whites, we can see how this housing segregation has roots in structural racism. 

Why is it important to discuss this today? Unfortunately, the history of redlining is still impacting many African Americans and their neighborhoods negatively in modern-day America. According to research, historically redlined neighborhoods still suffer from consequences such as lack of employment, social disadvantages, living in neglected neighborhoods, high crime rates, and educational disadvantages. In 2022, research indicated that black and non-white people who live in historically redlined neighborhoods are exposed to more air pollution, noise pollution, and cardiovascular diseases because of living close to oil and gas wells in their neighborhoods. Less green space and trees in their neighborhoods due to historically being labeled as “less desired” also is a social impact of this issue which can also lead to diseases such as asthma. Of course, the impacts do not necessarily just include the physical environment. We can still see more premature deaths and stillbirths in non-white and Black communities due to social deprivations. These are just some examples of how this law still impacts these communities. 

How can we go against the impacts of this law? Even though redlining is illegal and it has been for 100 years, we need to make sure that the impact of it is minimal in today’s society. Some ways that we can make this happen is by supporting interventions that supply better quality services for these communities such as schools, hospitals, better employment, affordable housing, etc. The links below provide some useful information about this topic. 


https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/50-years-after-being-outlawed-redlining-still-drives-neighborhood-health-inequities


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9901820/


https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/02/17/modern-day-redlining-how-banks-block-people-of-color-from-homeownership/


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