The next Conversations on Race and Faith will be December 11, 2022 at 1:00PM on zoom. This month we will look at the problem of structural housing inequality. Initially we will see how federal legislation codified racial housing segregation in the law. Even though fair housing laws were meant to address the structural inequality, simply changing the law doesn’t address the inequality. Next, we look at an example of a program to change the situation and how that program had several stumbling blocks. Finally, we hear from someone who managed to break through barriers from structural inequality. She gives a unique perspective on what may still be missing when people are the only one or one of a few who are perceived to have overcome structural inequality.
Retro Report is a project on short documentaries done in cooperation with TIME Magazine. This particular documentary is “Whites-Only Suburbs: How the New Deal Shut Out Black Homebuyers” https://www.retroreport.org/video/whites-only-suburbs-how-the-new-deal-shut-out-black-homebuyers/#player
Race-based federal lending rules from New Deal programs in the 1930s kept Black families locked out of suburban neighborhoods, a policy that continues to slow their economic mobility. The New Deal programs launched between 1932 and the end of World War II transformed society. But when it came to support for home ownership, Black Americans reaped far fewer benefits than white Americans. Federal Housing Administration rules from that era recommended that the way to preserve the value of newly constructed subdivisions was to keep Black homebuyers from living there, a policy that continues to slow Black families’ ability to build wealth.
A potential solution to housing inequality that was tried was known as the Gautreaux program in Chicago. For this we will look at “A New Housing Program to Fight Poverty has an Unexpected History” also from Retro Report https://www.retroreport.org/video/where-does-the-american-dream-live/
The Gautreaux program showed surprising promise not just in ending segregation but also in creating upward mobility and helping children escape poverty. But when the federal government tried to replicate a similar program in other cities, the results were disappointing.
Oftentimes, well-meaning and even well researched solutions fail to see the multiple dimensions of the solution. When an initial individual or an initial group seem to break through stereotypes there is a tendency for many factions of society to say” Problem Solved” In fact, it is not solved. Our final discussion piece is a personal retrospective from Simone Askew called “Breaking Glass Ceilings and the Cost we don’t see” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E84vrdjrPw
Simone was the first African-American female to be selected for the role of the First Captain of the United States Military Academy in the schools 200-year history. In her honest and personal TED Talk she addresses the downsides of being the first one to earn such an achievement. She relates it to the breaking of glass ceilings and the experience of others who seem to have broken through structural barriers. She went on to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and is currently serving as an active-duty army officer.
We hope to see you on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 1:00