Historian Says Don't 'Sanitize' How Our Government Created Ghettos _ NPR

Introduction

• Discussion of the legacy of government-created ghettos in America.

• Richard Rothstein highlights the historical context leading to current urban conditions.

Historical Context

• Ghettos Definition: Areas with homogeneous populations facing serious barriers to exit.

• Rothstein argues against the myth of "de-facto" segregation as merely economic or accidental.

• Emphasizes that residential segregation was the result of explicit government policies, not benign or unintended consequences.

Language and History

• Need for honest discourse on racial segregation without sanitizing language.

• Historical figures such as Robert Weaver have critiqued housing policies, labeling areas as ghettos as early as 1948.

Federal Policies and Their Consequences

New Deal’s Public Works Administration

• Public housing was restricted to one race, perpetuating segregation.

• Neighborhoods were razed to create new, racially segregated housing developments.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

• FHA policies financed builders with a condition that no homes be sold to African-Americans.

• Examples include developments like Levittown, which were built on segregationist policies.

Real Estate Practices

• Blockbusting:

  • Real estate agents exploited fear of African-Americans moving into neighborhoods, pressuring white families to sell homes cheaply.

  • Tactics included misrepresentation and encouraging panic among residents about declining neighborhood quality.

  • This practice contributed to inflated market prices for homes sold to African-Americans.

Conclusion

• Rothstein calls for an understanding of the historical roots of current ghetto conditions to address the ongoing challenges.

• Acknowledgment of past racist policies is essential in dialoguing about rectifying systemic inequalities.