After yesterdays stories which were far too complex, HNN today offers a single short story making a quick overview of racial housing segregation in 20th century American history. The Federal government from the 1930s to the 1960s was the biggest single promoter of housing segregation. FHA home loans policy invariably rated White neighborhoods the least risky and Black neighborhoods the most risky places to grant loans. Thus even the limited number of individuals who wanted to integrate were effectively punished: the FHA wouldnt loan to White persons looking to buy in Black neighborhoods; and Whites refusing to move out of integrating neighborhoods saw their home values drop as their locations were rated ever more risky. President Kennedy put an end to these policies in 1962, but the damage had been done. Two of Americas primary housing researchers, Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton, caution us against thinking that the races living apart is natural. It wasnt always this way. hnn.us/article/154102
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:17:43 +0000