Race And Housing Creating An American “Ghetto” What Is Segregation? How Segregated Are We? How Does Segregation Happen? What’s In A Name?

Creating A “Ghetto” Take One All-White Suburban Subdivision Average Value Of A House: $250,000

Creating A “Ghetto” Working Class Black Families Can Move In. It Is Now A Mixed-Class “Black Neighborhood” Average Value Of A House: $150,000

Creating A “Ghetto” Average Value Of A House: $35,000 It Is Now A Radically Depressed Neighborhood

What Is Segregation? Segregation The degree to which various racial groups are distributed throughout a city or other residential environment in a way that, ultimately, limits both access and opportunity. Imagine a city with 48 families in it where 8 (17%) of the people are black This version of that city would have total (100%) segregation. This version of that city would have zero (0%) segregation.

What Is Segregation? Diversity Experienced In Each Group’s Typical Neighborhood – National Metropolitan Average (Lewis Mumford Center, University of Albany) Segregation The degree to which various racial groups are distributed throughout a city or other residential environment in a way that, ultimately, limits both access and opportunity.

What Are Minorities? Minority is not a description of a group’s numerical representation. It is really a description of relative power and status in a society. Hawaii (23% White) New Mexico (41% White) California (40% White) Texas (45% White) New York (49% white) Washington, DC (39% white) San Diego (49% white) Las Vegas (48% white) Albuquerque (42% white) Houston (40% white) Miami (35% white) Los Angeles (32% white) Honolulu (19% white) El Paso (13% white) Data from US Census

What Is Segregation? Diversity Experienced In Each Group’s Typical Neighborhood – National Metropolitan Average (Lewis Mumford Center, University of Albany) Segregation The degree to which various racial groups are distributed throughout a city or other residential environment in a way that, ultimately, limits both access and opportunity.

How Did (Does?) This Happen? White Flight? White Flight? Four percent of Whites would move if there were one Black family in their 15-house neighborhood. That number jumps to 15 with 3 Black families? Five families? THIRTY PERCENT! White Fight? White Fight? In spite of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, between 60% and 90% of houses shown to Whites are never shown to Blacks. “Steering” also persists. Economics? Economics? Poor Blacks are as segregated as Blacks making more than $50k a year. Latinos making minimum wage are more segregated than middle-class Latinos. Racial segregation persists in even affluent suburbs. Choice? Choice? Twenty-five percent of Blacks wouldn’t move into an all-Black neighborhood. Seventy- seven percent would prefer a 50/50 neighborhood

Names Matter! NeilBrettGregEmilyAnneJill TamikaEbonyAishaRasheedKareemTyrone Emily Walsh and Brendan Baker 10 resumes to get one job callback Lakisha Washington and Jamal Jones 15 resumes to get one job callback Resume quality matters: more labor market experience, no employment holes, work while at school, military experience, addresses, honors and awards, and computer certificates lead to callbacks Even zip codes matter: more White, more educated, higher average income leads to more callbacks