by Beth Staats
Quick Summary
Written by Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law was designated one of ten finalists on the National Book Awards' long list for the best nonfiction books of 2017, and is just as important today.
The Color of Law: A forgotten history of how our government segregated America is a book that will continue to be relevant, debated, and discussed for decades. Rothstein examines the myth that the racial divide within cities stems primarily from personal prejudices and income differences. He exposes laws and policies that have been passed over the decades by local, state, and federal governments promoting urban racial segregation. Rothstein argues that government policies actively imposed housing segregation.
One of the key discriminatory housing practices was redlining. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Home Owner's Loan Corporation (HOLC) systematically denied mortgages to Black families while subsidizing white suburban developments. Another was restrictive covenants, or legal agreements that prevented Black families from purchasing homes in certain neighborhoods. Race and Economics, in Ebooks MN, also discusses covenants and their role in segregation.
Public housing discrimination played a large role in governmental segregation. Government housing policies segregated Black and white residents, even in cities where segregation did not previously exist. As can be seen with 35W in South Minneapolis, highway placement and infrastructure projects were designed to reinforce segregation often displacing Black communities. Finally, law enforcement and violence contributed to this segregation as governments failed to protect Black homeowners from racially motivated violence when they attempted to move into white neighborhoods.
Rothstein states that all of this legally enforced segregation had very long-lasting effects, which are still visible today. He calls for policy solutions, reparations, and more aggressive fair housing enforcement to address all of these historical injustices.
