Mostly white and black in our nation live segregated.
Studies of race and real estate show housing to be an arena where racial discrimination continues to be the norm. In Words That Wound law professors Mari Matsuda and Charles Lawrence discuss the reality that racism shapes “suburban geography” stating that “while residential segregation decreases for most racial and ethnic groups with additional education, income, and occupational status, this does not hold true for African-Americans.” In his work on race and the issue of housing, political scientist Andrew Hacker calls attention to the fact that even liberal and progressive white folks are concerned when it seems as though more black homeowners are moving into what they perceive to be “their” neighborhoods. In his book, Two Nations, he emphasizes that one black family may find acceptance in a predominately white neighborhood but more than one is seen as threatening. Of course most white homeowners insist that the issue is not racial prejudice but rather economics; they are concerned that their property will not rise in value. Given the system of white supremacy the blacker the neighborhood the more likely it is that the property therein will be deemed less valuable by property appraisers, who are usually white.
Nowadays, in real estate circles, sellers and buyers alike, talk about racial economic zoning in housing. Since on the average white families make more money than people of color/black people, some neighborhoods will automatically be all white because of high prices. Certainly, in the small pre-dominantly white Kentucky town of Berea where I reside there has been no history of racial segregation in housing. Instead the town’s founder John Fee and its citizens were committed to the project of ending racism, of ending segregated housing. During the early days of the towns development in the late nineteen hundreds, citizens had to sign a covenant reinforcing this commitment, one that publicly declared their willingness to live next to a white or black neighbor. When I first moved to Berea I, like other black folks before me wanted to see the “black neighborhoods.” I was astounded when I was repeatedly told that Berea really did not have black neighborhoods, that because of its history of anti-discrimination in housing individual black people live wherever they desire. This is one of the aspects of Berea that continues to make the town a swell place to live.
Unfortunately in recent years the building of exorbitantly priced homes has created segregated all white neighborhoods where the presence of people of color is often not welcomed and where there are residents who would not choose to live among black people in racially integrated subdivisions. Most, if not all, of these segregated white communities are new developments and sometimes potential homeowners must be vetted by associations and boards before they can purchase in these locations. This is a perfect setup for discrimination to occur. The underlying principle of many new housing developments, particularly those that are gated, is the notion of exclusion and exclusivity, keeping undesirable elements out, which frequently means people of the wrong class or color. Of course most of the residents in these communities will argue that their choice of housing is not influenced by racial prejudice, because they are not racists, but rather by a desire for comfort and safety.
Writing about the fact that most white people have been socialized to remain ignorant of the way racism affects their lives, the way they collude in maintaining racism and with it segregation. Peggy McIntosh contends: “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage… In my class and place, I did not recognize myself as a racist because I was taught to see
Studies of race and real estate show housing to be an arena where racial discrimination continues to be the norm. In Words That Wound law professors Mari Matsuda and Charles Lawrence discuss the reality that racism shapes “suburban geography” stating that “while residential segregation decreases for most racial and ethnic groups with additional education, income, and occupational status, this does not hold true for African-Americans.” In his work on race and the issue of housing, political scientist Andrew Hacker calls attention to the fact that even liberal and progressive white folks are concerned when it seems as though more black homeowners are moving into what they perceive to be “their” neighborhoods. In his book, Two Nations, he emphasizes that one black family may find acceptance in a predominately white neighborhood but more than one is seen as threatening. Of course most white homeowners insist that the issue is not racial prejudice but rather economics; they are concerned that their property will not rise in value. Given the system of white supremacy the blacker the neighborhood the more likely it is that the property therein will be deemed less valuable by property appraisers, who are usually white.
Nowadays, in real estate circles, sellers and buyers alike, talk about racial economic zoning in housing. Since on the average white families make more money than people of color/black people, some neighborhoods will automatically be all white because of high prices. Certainly, in the small pre-dominantly white Kentucky town of Berea where I reside there has been no history of racial segregation in housing. Instead the town’s founder John Fee and its citizens were committed to the project of ending racism, of ending segregated housing. During the early days of the towns development in the late nineteen hundreds, citizens had to sign a covenant reinforcing this commitment, one that publicly declared their willingness to live next to a white or black neighbor. When I first moved to Berea I, like other black folks before me wanted to see the “black neighborhoods.” I was astounded when I was repeatedly told that Berea really did not have black neighborhoods, that because of its history of anti-discrimination in housing individual black people live wherever they desire. This is one of the aspects of Berea that continues to make the town a swell place to live.
Unfortunately in recent years the building of exorbitantly priced homes has created segregated all white neighborhoods where the presence of people of color is often not welcomed and where there are residents who would not choose to live among black people in racially integrated subdivisions. Most, if not all, of these segregated white communities are new developments and sometimes potential homeowners must be vetted by associations and boards before they can purchase in these locations. This is a perfect setup for discrimination to occur. The underlying principle of many new housing developments, particularly those that are gated, is the notion of exclusion and exclusivity, keeping undesirable elements out, which frequently means people of the wrong class or color. Of course most of the residents in these communities will argue that their choice of housing is not influenced by racial prejudice, because they are not racists, but rather by a desire for comfort and safety.
Writing about the fact that most white people have been socialized to remain ignorant of the way racism affects their lives, the way they collude in maintaining racism and with it segregation. Peggy McIntosh contends: “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage… In my class and place, I did not recognize myself as a racist because I was taught to see
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