Racial Segregation and Concentrated Poverty: The History of Housing in Black America

October 9, 2023 Pharaoh

On Jan. 26, 2021, President Joe Biden signed four executive orders designed to address racial equity in the United States. With one particular action Biden hopes to right the historical wrongs Black folks have faced when it comes to housing and homeownership in this country.

Per a White House statement, “He will direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take steps necessary to redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies that have contributed to wealth inequality for generations.”

And that’s why the story of what housing and other living conditions look like for many Black Americans is pretty bleak. It’s by design.