This blog is intended for students taking Introduction to Sociology with Professor McCoy at UC Davis during spring quarter 2016. It is a private blog administered by Joshua Hayes (TA) for students in sections 1 and 2. This is the location for the blog responses and student comments described in the course syllabus.
The author’s most important argument is segregation is increasing in both suburbs and cities. Older studies suggest that segregation is declining since people of color have moved out of cities to suburbs. More recent research, however, shows that while this is true, black people are moving to majority black neighborhoods and other suburbs are mostly white. Certain local policies allow for communities to be labeled this way, such as construction of low-income and mixed-income housing. In addition, white neighborhoods may have policies such as exclusionary zoning laws aimed to keep minorities out. Some solutions to this type of discrimination are seen in the Fair Housing Act and the Obama administration’s decision to overhaul how the government distributes housing money.
If the author were to rewrite her article, she could discuss if and how the LGBT community is affected by this type of discrimination. There are certainly communities that are known for being more LGBT-friendly than others, such as the Castro in San Francisco. Do LGBT individuals move to places where there is a large LGBT community? Are there policies in other communities that are aimed at keeping the LGBT community out? Although the author is specifically discussing racial discrimination, it would be interesting to see data about discrimination against the LGBT community.
Although I think that it would be interesting if the author were to include statistics about the LGBT community and how they're affected by segregation, I think that for the purpose of this article it would be harder to make the same point. For instance, the LGBT community is comprised of people from different nationalities and ethnicities which would make it much harder for whites and blacks to segregate them based on their skin color. Also, it would be harder for communities to distinguish between who is associated with LGBT and who isn't. Interestingly, I do think that some neighborhoods are more LGBT friendly, particularly in San Francisco and other cities that are more openly LGBT friendly, and I think that this also comes from years of conditioning and a slow progressive movement over time that led to these areas becoming more LGBT friendly.
While I agree with Jason To about the purpose of the article and how it would be harder to make the same points about the LGBT community. I think the author could have at least acknowledged other factors besides races within speaking about housing. While race has been an essential factor that people judge upon, sexual orientation and gender only add to that discrimination. I believe when talking about society and social issues there is no right or wrong because there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when dealing with societal conflicts. However, I believe it is important to lie out all the factors that people can take into consideration when purchasing housing and what can cause housing segregation.
I agree with Zoe in that the author’s most important argument is about the current state of segregation. While there are laws to prevent discrimination in things such as housing, it still exists. Whites don’t move into areas mostly populated by minorities, and tenants make it difficult for minorities to live in white areas. Statistics show that as white population in an area decreases, minority population increases. It’s as though whites are moving out due to the increase in the number of minorities, which is completely legal. In this way, areas still tend to be segregated by race regardless of government policies. I disagree with Zoe in regards to having LGBT data, as while it shares a similar theme to the whole racial discrimination, it seems like a much smaller scale problem that affects far fewer people and would make conclusions from data difficult, i.e. what if they’re gay and white and got denied, gay and black and got accepted, etc. Instead, I feel that to make the article more informative, Semuels could have interviewed whites and minorities that have moved. For example, a question could be how the racial demographics of areas affected their decisions. Did a white person move because they didn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, perhaps? Did minorities specifically want to move into more upscale white neighborhoods but could that they couldn’t? There is a strong correlation as shown by the statistics, but actual perspectives would’ve been very helpful in understanding the situation.
I think it will be interesting to have the data about LGBT community that affect by housing segregation. Even thought people are having a very open mind about the LGBT community and in California even allow to have gay marriage. But in fact, still have many people that have a negative influence about how to treat LGBT community. If the author can have statistics about how LGBT community affect by segregation. That will even better to help people to understand how different segregation are affect people in different way, not only being racism for people skin color. Also racism about their sexual orientation. I think people choosing where to live should base on is that neighborhoods are safe? And It is the community being friendly to everyone? That should be the only consideration that people should care. People should not choose where to live only by it their same skin color in the neighborhood. Hoping the society can come up with the plan that can help people have no more housing segregation by skin color or sexual orientation.
In the article, "White Flight Never Ended," by Alana Seumuels, the author describes how segregation began in America due to whites moving in the suburbs where blacks were excluded from equal opportunity, housing, and employment. He later describes how much of America believes that we moved passed this segregation with the election of a black president and how interracial couples are starting to appear on national networks and commercials. Some studies have found that whites are starting to move from the inner cities to more suburban areas that are majority black. Interestingly, whites are moving back to majority black neighborhoods that their previous generation(s) moved away from years ago. However, there are still some cases where real estate agents and populations tend to live in neighborhood where their ethnic group is the minority. However, even though there are some neighborhoods where diversity gets more diverse, a majority of them still segregate due to housing affordability or other restrictions.
I think that the article can be improved by showing a national statistics of ethnic groups living in suburban and city-like areas. This would help improve the evidence by giving a visual image of how segregation is still apparent primarily in either low or high income families. Also, I think that including a segregation sheet of ethnic groups based on social class would help support the argument. This would demonstrate if the imbalance between where they're living and the jobs that they get is primarily based on how wealthy they are because of job opportunity or if groups of the same social class just don't live in the same area. Since this article was written a year ago and Obama's presidency is coming to an end, I think it would be helpful to include if there was any drastic changes due to Obama's regime that affected housing segregation. This would put into account whether or not having an ethnic group president actually changed how America's viewed segregation between ethnic groups.
In Alana Semuels’s article “The Role of Highways in American Poverty,” some of the early history of highways in American cities is outlined highlighting their role in the ongoing discrimination against African American communities. In the 1950s, highways were a solution to a new problem many cities were facing – with the urbanization of cities and increasing prevalence of cars, traffic on small roads not built for such use was becoming an issue. Another “problem” of the time was the existence of poor neighborhoods, where black individuals were forced to live after being denied housing everywhere else. City planners decided to use their federally-funded highways as an excuse to tear down some of these communities while putting a convenient highway through to the business centers of the city, thus solving two problems at once. Today, these highways seem to be turning into a burden which is keeping a city from reaching full potential – there are plenty of ways into and out of the city, but these major roadways prevent a neighborhood from having a “close-knit” feel. Also, as an end result of the discrimination seen before, black and poor communities are denser than ever. Semuels suggests that projects to integrate poor and wealthy, white and black communities are the best option today to end the cycle of poverty which keeps those neighborhoods from changing.
Were Alana to rewrite her article, I may suggest that she include more examples of ways which urban planning has affected the movement of communities into and out of certain parts of a city. She mentions such city services as public transportation and schools which cities are having a hard time being able to afford, but these features should definitely have an effect on the communities which surround them, possibly even more so than the highways. Should state or federal governments provide extra incentives or subsidies to encourage more integration and transportation by these means, like how they did with highways in the 50s? It would help to look at these items from a historical point of view as well as a modern one, to see how urban development has changed poverty and either encouraged or discouraged artificial segregation. Although the article by the title is about highways, I think a more comprehensive look at urbanization through the years would give a large and useful picture of how communities react and adapt to their changing environments.
That's completely true. When I reflect back on the article, she doesn't mention instances of ways urban planning has found to be successful in treating the role of highways in poverty. If the author gave a more detailed look about urbanization it would give us a clear picture of how certain communities react and change in their environments. However, I did find this article very interesting, you don't think about how a highway could lead a city into poverty such as the Syracuse example she discussed. As her evidence shown, highways can divide a city and that can lead to future economic problems. Also a question we should be asking is if they were to redo all major highways, what would they change to make sure close knit community's were decimated?
In White Flight Never Ended, Alana Semuels talks about the housing segregation caused by racism. The white had moved to suburbs to avoid living with the black. However, once the black moved to the suburbs, they moved back to the inner cities again to exclude the black from the communities. Not only the black but also other nonwhite groups were also excluded from the white communities. Even though the government has tried to give out mortgage to the black so that they could afford the white communities’ housing, the black are more inclined to live with the black. Just like the white are more inclined to live with the white; people prefer to live within their own groups.
If Alana rewrote this article, I think she could write about some opinions and phrases about the housing segregation from different groups of people who live in the different communities, such as the black from the black communities, the black from the white communities, the white from the white communities, etc. They would be more persuasive and clearer to show the causes of the racism of housing segregation. In addition, Alana emphasizes housing segregation’s tension between the black and white and talk a few about the other racial groups. I also suggest she could write more and provide more examples about how other nonwhite groups were excluded by the white.
I agree with Ymeng and would find the article more interesting if Alana were to include personal accounts from the different ethnic groups about how they view their housing situations. I wonder if the few blacks in the predominantly white neighborhoods did something on their housing application or interview that distinguished them from other black applicants. I would be interested in knowing if there was any key factors that separated those who got their housing application approved from those who didn't. I think that having interview accounts from the different people and how they view their housing situation and the segregation between the two races would not be as beneficial because there are already a lot of accounts of race prejudices and how ethnic groups view their situation. I agree with Yumeng in that it's important to see if there are other races as well that feel the same type of discrimination and/or privilege as the whites and blacks face in the housing market.
Good post Yumeng and I do agree with your statement about even though the government has provided housing mortgage to help african american to afford the white community housing, the society has created a barrier that prevents them to live with the same neighborhood. From my perspective, the major factor of housing segregation in the United States would be the racist mindset that the society have created. For example, white people should not live in the same neighborhood with the black because most of them are involved with crime. This type of notion has been placing the majority of ethnic groups in pain and it is totally unfair for them as they have the same education background and economic status with the mainstream. To me, i would also be interested if the author focus on the perspective of Latin American and Asian American, so that it allows more readers to concern about the problem of housing segregation and racial discrimination in the United States.
The author’s main argument is that while many Americans believe that we have changed in how we view race, there is still an increasing divide between white people and black people. In today’s society, many Americans would hope to believe we have changes and accepted other races because we have a black president and we see more interracial couples on media. There have been studies that actually show that segregation is actually becoming more common in neighborhoods. As a result of this, America experiences “white flight.” “White flight” is when white people sell their homes to get away from black families and neighborhoods. Unlike the past, much of today’s segregation is both in cities and suburb. Nonetheless, white community have a “exclusionary zoning law” to reinforce having all the white people together. This law makes it difficult to build mixed-income housing in certain areas. Which also makes it difficult for minorities to live around white people. It wasn’t until the Obama Administration announced an overhaul of how the government would be able to distribute housing people within the Fair Housing Act that a new rule was implemented – making it housing situations better.
If Alana Semuel were to rewrite this article, the issues and topics I would suggest her to include more information about other races and ethnically. I feel as if when people see racism in America, they only see black vs. white, they never see other races. In addition, while the Fair Housing Act helps race and ethnicity, there are many other factors I wish the author included. I think it would be beneficial to learn about other minority groups, such as women when compared to men, the LGBT community, and etc. As a San Francisco resident, I would like to learn about how San Francisco became to be so famous within the LGBT community. In addition, I would love to learn about the data behind women purchasing housing and observe if there is discrimination within women vs. men purchasing homes.
I strongly agree with Jessica's point that the author needs to revisit the issue of racial housing segregation with more attention to the other races. As a San Francisco resident myself, I know of districts and towns that are known as something other than typically "white," or "black." While racism against African-Americans has been historically recognized, racism and microaggression against other races minority groups are often overlooked and unacknowledged. As a reader, I would like to know whether there is any correlation between races and their likelihood of renting vs. having a mortgage. Inclusion of data on homeowners belonging to other races minorities may help make this article more insightful and revealing.
I agree with Jamie and Jessica that the author should analyze how white flight has impacted not only African Americans, but also Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, etc., as the biases and issues that these races face will somewhat vary from those that African Americans face. Including their perspective is vital to understanding how white flight disturbs the lives of all minorities. Furthermore, the influence of white flight is not limited to minority races. LGBTQ communities experience similar discrimination in their neighborhoods and may have even more hardship if they are part of a racial minority group. San Francisco would be an excellent example of white flight and gentrification, especially with the various neighborhoods within the city where certain races are concentrated. The author could have described the history of how these neighborhoods developed and how this influenced their access to resources and decent housing in regards to white flight. It would also be interesting to see if single men and women have a harder time getting housing versus heterosexual and homosexual families when white flight takes place.
The Role of Highways in American Poverty by Alana Semuels
The author’s most important argument is that highways tend to make a city sick by separating communities. She explains that the highways once used to cure “city ills” have actually had a negative effect on specific neighborhoods. In Syracuse, when the city broke up the 15th ward with the I 81 freeway for fear of race riots, the wealthier people began moving further and further out of the city. With more and more people moving out, new districts were created and tax revenue from these citizens no longer went to the city. This trend left poor minorities in the deteriorating city because they could not afford to buy the new houses on the outskirts of Syracuse. Thus, the 15th ward became a congested and noisy neighborhood full of some of the poorest individuals in Syracuse. The author claims that this has had a negative effect on the city as a whole.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I would have liked to see more evidence in the positive direction. I think it would be interesting to see data and pictures from the cities that tore down highways. Maybe she could link to more articles like The Miracle of Minneapolis. The author could also talk about how the integration of school districts has affected Louisville and the poor neighborhoods within it. This article isn’t entirely convincing; it has a lot of ideas, but lacks the data to back it up. Whether that data comes from the positive or negative side of this, I think the article would benefit from more.
Hi Dallon, I like your idea of providing a look at ways cities have changed positively from urban development. So many articles focus on the bad, that it's hard to learn from the good examples. I know I've heard of many urban experiments of all kinds (one recently popular one was when cities in Japan and elsewhere installed blue streetlights - it turns out that the purportedly resultant drop in crime was not confirmed by reliable sources), and some of these must have had some measurable effect. It would be interesting to hear what happens when schools are built, suburbs constructed or roadways erected in modern times. If a freeway is taken down which previously had an impoverished neighborhood underneath it, would it have a positive effect on that neighborhood? It seems like it might actually hurt those with cars in terms of getting to work, but perhaps there are other factors to consider as well.
According to the article of White Flight Never Ended, the author argues that how does the segregation between the black and white populations started while whites were fleeing to suburbs and people were against people of color from employment, housing, as well as the opportunities of education. Moreover, the article has mentioned about white flight, exclusionary zoning, and outright prejudice have been creating the notion of "Black neighborhood" and "White neighborhood" in both cities and suburbs and the ideology of one nation equals to two societies, which are black and white has been wide-spreading in the society of United States nowadays. It shows that the problem of racial division is occurred in the community of the United States and the phenomenon has been increasing lately. Therefore, it leads countless people to suffer in various inequality treatments, such as housing inequality, racial discrimination, racial segregation, or unequal job opportunities.
Of course, it is extremely important to know that the problem of housing segregation is not only excluding African-American, but also other ethnic groups. For example, Latin American and Asian American are also excluded by the white neighborhood. As a result, this leads the majority of minorities are inclined to live with each other. In addition, although the government provide mortgage to African American in order to help them to afford different housing in the white community, the barrier in society and outcome were still preventing them to live with the white community, such as the majority of the housing mortgage went to the white and only 2% went to African American. Hence, the social issue of housing segregation in the United States remains unsolved and becomes a serious issue in the society.
From my perspective, if I were Alana Semuel were to rewrite this article, It would be better if she provide more information and research about other races and ethnic groups instead of focusing on the perspective of Black versus White. In other word, if the author were to focus about the races of Latin American, African American and Asian American at the same time, it would be convincible to the readers and allow them to have better concepts and understanding towards white fight and housing segregation in the society of the U.S. Moreover, I would also suggest her to mention the historical context of housing segregation. For example, the documentary that professor Mccoy showed us on Monday has explained the causes and effect of housing segregation in the community. At this point, it allows readers to understand more about the problem of housing segregation in the United States and notice that this can possibly lead to different problems such as racial discrimination and unequal job opportunities.
I agree completely with the the fact that the different views of the racial segregation would be more convincing. It certainly would be able to provide more incite into the segregation that is occurring in the housing of the U.S. However, the background of housing segregation was mentioned enough I feel to get an understanding as to where it came from. As this article focused on the present, Alana showed enough of the numbers from the past compared to the present to justify that it was a problem before and is actually still a problem. The inclusion of the racial discrimination and unequal job opportunities would also be important factors to note in the article as they can have effects on the housing segregation as well.
In this article, the author talks about how housing segregation still exists and is prevalent even today. Her main point is that even though the country has progressed since 50 years ago, and that people of different races are more accepted, there is still racial segregation in many aspects of today’s society and one of them is the housing market. According to the article, neighborhoods today are still racially segregated. In the 1960s, white families moved out of the cities into suburbs to get away from people of color and minorities, now that these minorities have started moving into the suburbs, the white families are moving even further out into fringe areas and living in all-white neighborhoods and affluent gated communities. This is called “white flight” and it is as prevalent today as it was in the 1960s. The white communities have even come up with decisions to keep minorities out of their living areas. With white families moving out of the cities, the cities have become a community with a certain racial majority. They are referred to as black suburbs or Asian and Latino communities. With housing segregation still a problem in today’ society, President Obama has announced an overhaul of the Fair Housing Act to hopefully rectify this problem.
If she were to rewrite the article, I think that she should have included more background on the housing issues in the 1960s with the Federal Housing Administration and how they were redlining certain communities and comparing it to today’s redlining. She could also include other factors which may come into play such as the socioeconomic status of the minorities or even whites who get excluded from some communities. She could also detail the reasons why these minorities were excluded or why the whites don’t want the minorities to live close to them. She could also detail the specific ethnicities such as Latino, Asians and even Native Americans instead of just making it a mostly black and white issue.
Hi Kevin, I agree with your desire to pull statistics and compare them. I would also like to see the correlation between now and the peak of redlining. I do disagree with your suggestion to include white people who may be excluded from other neighborhoods. This article about historically excluded minorities and white flight. It is true that white people are probably excluded, but it nowhere near the scale of how minorities are excluded. It is called white flight for a reason; minorities and white people have vastly different stereotypes. Minorities are scary and drug-ridden while white people are clean and have great reputations. White people who get excluded from communities generally turns into gentrification. We should be talking more about minority marginalization, not the woes of the dominant group. White people are not at fault for their inherent privilege, but they do need to learn that minorities suffer at the hands of the privileged, and they need to learn to become allies.
Hi Kevin, I like the idea of looking at why whites don't want minorities to live close to them. I think it would be really helpful to see some interviews with people. Although most people would not be outwardly racist, I think it could provide some insight into their motivations. At this point it just seems like they don't like minorities. I think it would be great to see what motivates this conscious or subconscious aversion to minorities. Whether it be a worry about their home value decreasing or a worry about their neighborhood's health, I think interviews with white people who left their neighborhoods would help illuminate the complexities of white flight. Then, a possible solution could be proposed.
In "White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels, the author discusses the findings of a report that states how "white areas" and "black areas" still exist in America and include both suburb and city areas. It was concluded that the research done that proved the decline of segregation was misleading. The research looked at entire metropolitan areas versus individual communities. While less blacks were living in inner city areas, the suburbs they moved to were predominantly black. The author goes on to discuss how zoning laws and administrative decisions that either make it difficult to build mixed-income housing in certain areas. The author notes that Obama has attempted to help with this issue by requiring metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation, and then take steps to address it, if they want to continue to receive money from the federal government.
If Alana were to rewrite this article, a look at why "Asian" or "Latino" communities aren't talked about as much as black and white would be intriguing. Why do the Latino and Asian communities get lumped into the same categories as black people? This possible incite with some in depth analysis would be interesting to see the different types of racial segregation occurring. Furthermore, the look at the different types of racial segregation would allow for a better attempt at fixing the problem.
Hi Greg, I agree with your response, especially in regards to expanding on racial segregation outside of white and black Americans. I noticed that often times, articles concerning racial inequality and segregation don’t have as much information about other races. This article was another instance of that. It only briefly mentioned segregation with Hispanic and Asian residents. I agree that more insight to all the different types of racial segregation is necessary in progressing past racial problems in society. Racial segregation can’t be fixed if it is only between a select few of the races. It must be tackled in all aspects and viewed in all angles of the issue to find all potential solutions - that means being inclusive of all races.
I also agree on deepening the analysis of multiple different racial segregation. The article pays too much attention on the tension between the black and the white and talks little about other racial groups. There is only one short paragraph about other racial group, and it puts Latino and Asians in to a big unnamed category for a short general discussion. In this way, the author kind of devalues the existence of other racial groups. If the author really wants to make a strong argument for nonwhites' equal housing rights, she should offer more examples for various nonwhite groups besides the black. Other nonwhite groups' equal housing issues also deserve everyone's notice.
In Alana Semuels’s article “The Role of Highways in American Poverty,” discusses how highway's used to be "the greatest single element in the cure of city ills" , when in reality it decimated many African-American communities. When highways get built, people have to relocate, the people who couldn't relocate to the suburbs were African Americans. African-Americans were denied home loans by the federal government in certain areas which is a practice called redlining. These restrictions forced African-Americans into crowded small neighborhoods. They sensually didn't have the resources to move anywhere else.The article continues to talk about Syracuse and how the construction of the I 81 decimated African American communities. They say this freeway is completely divided the city,and the people of Syracuse want to tear it down. The author contributes the freeway construction as one of the reasons why, to this day, Syracuse has the highest density of poverty in the nation. The author argues that tearing down the highway can be one way to bring a region completely together.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think more statistics could've been involved. In the article the author lists examples such as Louisville and Syracuse as places that experienced The role of highways and poverty. I would love to see if the statistic that showed how much highways actually affected cities. A study that would've worked for this wood to have been to compare some cities without direct highways vs cities like Louisville in Syracuse that have highways runnings through the middle of them. Also, I felt like the article did a poor job in showing exactly how a highway contributes to poverty. Is the separating of a community the sole problem that led to hey poor economic state? What about the communities that are doing financially very well that have highways? Overall, I liked the article and thought it was very well written, if the author added these things it could've been better as a whole.
I agree with Daniel’s analysis of the author’s argument, specifically the idea that the national highway system has negatively affected African-American communities in order to benefit cities. In order to build a roadway in an existing and developed area, land will need to be cleared and poorer residents had the unfortunate fate of not being able to relocate due to inaccessibility to housing resources. Though the highway system was viewed as a relief for the cities in order to allow more people to move further out from crowded centers, the unintended effects of its construction created poorer inner city neighborhoods that disproportionately affected African-Americans. I agree with Daniel’s idea that the author should provide statistics and data to show how poverty has changed since the construction of these roadways over neighborhoods. Data would give needed validation to show that destroying these communities made it even more difficult for those left behind to access needed resources. I also think that Daniel brings up an interesting point about analyzing if community separation is the actual cause of poverty in these areas or if underlying institutional barriers like lack of housing loan access are the true cause of disparities.
In this article, the author illustrated the situation of racial inequality in America. Since a long time ago, racial tensions existed where white people have more privilege while black people are discriminated by not having housing, jobs and education opportunities. Although studies have shows that nowadays America is no longer racial segregated and have stepped into a "post-racial era", the author questions the study results and argued that there are still white areas and black areas, just that they exist in both cities and suburbs. The author suggests that as much as overall metro-neighbourhood segregation decreases, segregation between places are increasing. For example, white people would move out when black people start moving in because white people are more inclined to live with whites.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be useful to include more data and statistics. With more numbers, it would let the readers have a more exact count of how many people are moving out and moving in etc. So that it would contribute to giving a more precise picture on how racial segregation is happening. Also, I think the author should add more background information of how the FHA has changed in 1960s and about the redlining situation. This way, it gives the readers a broader picture of how racial segregation has happened over time so they can compare it with the current situation.
I agree with Jamie and really liked the suggestion of including more quantitative data in the article. The author successfully addressed how the issue of residential segregation was examined at a meso level but neglected to incorporate a micro level analysis. Semuels did address her research from a macro level perspective as well. Through her analysis of the Kerner Report, she illuminated how this discrimination in housing leads to inequality between blacks and whites in "employment, housing, and educational opportunities". It would have been helpful if Semuels offered more suggestions on how to fix this national phenomenon of residential segregation. Similar to Jamie, I was also curious to find out what, if any, changes were made to the FHA during and after its creation. Although the language might not be as explicitly racist and discriminatory as it used to be, I am interested to see what language and practices are subtly unfair in their nature and to see how the FHA can be challenged to live up to its original goal.
In the article “White Flight Never Ended” by Alana Semeuls, the author discusses the findings of a new report that parallels similar findings as the Kerner Report during the Johnson Presidency. In the past, the Kerner Report discovered that the nation was becoming racially divided with increasing Black and minority populations in the metropolitan areas and increasing White populations leaving for the suburbs. The report discussed in the author’s article argues that the nation has not progress in desegregating neighborhoods; though minorities are moving into the suburbs, they are moving into minority suburbs and not White suburbs. The author argues that these findings show that the nation has not progress in overcoming segregation despite superficial beliefs portrayed through our first Black president and minority actors in television commercials. The continuous segregation between neighborhoods gives rise to the association of certain races and ethnicities to certain suburbs and cities. As the author states, this is a result of real estate agents and lenders still continuing their practice of offering housing in neighborhoods with people of similar race and ethnicity. Furthermore, white flight allows for local governments to be more willing to develop mixed-income housing projects whereas White majority neighborhoods make it more difficult to build affordable housing for lower income individuals that may bring diversity to the neighborhood. Yet, new policies by the federal government will force local governments to gather data on neighborhood segregation to be eligible for federal housing money, which will uncover the progress still needed to create a “single society”.
If the author were to rewrite this blog, I think it would be useful to include data to support the notion that our society is more segregated than it was nearly 50 years ago. Furthermore, the author states in the article that whites are more “amenable” to Asian and Hispanic families entering their neighborhood compared to Black families. To support this assertion, the author should provide evidence of this slight preference by interviewing White families in these White majority neighborhoods on their stance of different ethnic groups moving into their neighborhoods. Though this article is based more on racial and ethnic segregation, I think that income segregation would be an important topic to address in this article regarding housing segregation. As the article states, localities pass laws that either allow for more mixed-income housing or prohibit construction of mixed-income housing. I think it is important to consider that not all minorities require the assistance of mixed-income housing efforts and not all Whites can afford to purchase and own their own home. By observing income in addition to race and ethnicity, we remove the assumptions of groups toward individuals that do not fit the stereotype.
I agree that the author could include data supporting her assertion that whites are more "amendable" to living near Asian or Hispanic families. If the data supports this statement, then a follow-up question could be: why are Asians or Hispanics more preferable than blacks when it comes to being neighbors? Income segregation is another way of looking at how neighborhoods are divided in this country.
While it may be slightly beyond the scope of this article, the author could look at the intersection of racial and income segregation like you suggested. Does race or income take precedence over the other when it comes to prejudice and discrimination? Would middle-class white families rather live near poor whites or middle-class black families? In one of the films we watched on Monday, the wealthy black couple was deterred from living in an upper-class neighborhood because they were black. Their income was not the issue. Like you said, it's definitely important to recognize that there is income variety within a given race.
I completely agree that the author should include more data to support his claims. Although I agree with the author's arguments, I believe in order to further strengthen his argument he should present more data and evidence to readers. I think including interviewing white families in neighborhoods that are majority white would be very interesting to include. He could also interview white families in more diverse neighborhoods and contrast their attitudes towards minorities. This would greatly support his argument of whites being more "amendable" to living near Asian or Hispanic families.
In her article “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuel’s main argument is that many people believed America is more accepting regarding race after 50 years since the race riots; however, racial segregation is still prevalent in factors such as employment, housing, and educational opportunities. According to the article, black areas and white areas are ongoing in America and they are in both cities and suburbs. A previous study was conducted to prove that racial segregation is declining; however, there were a few disruptions that makes the study invalid. The researchers in that study looked at entire metropolitan areas, rather than smaller communities which showed that the suburbs Blacks moved into are majority black even though there were less Blacks living in inner cities. This is due to “White flight.” “White flight” is the practice of white people selling their homes and flee in order to avoid the increasing Blacks coming into their current neighborhoods. Many white communities also incorporate “exclusionary zoning laws” to keep minorities out, which makes it difficult to build mixed-income housing in particular areas. To remedy the racial segregation situation, “the Obama Administration announced an overhaul of how the federal government distributes housing money.”
If Semuel were to rewrite this article, she should include the other factors that would attribute to discrimination and segregation such as gender/sexual orientation. As a longtime resident of San Francisco and the Castro district, I am well aware of the discrimination the LGBT community face. Some people would say to me “Oh, you live in the Castro district? Are you also gay?” The author could possibly incorporate a study on this and see if the people in a different community would sell their homes and flee or incorporate zoning laws when the LGBT community moves in. This would support the idea of segregation and discrimination is not only in race, but also in other factors. I also would want the author to include and discuss a reverse situation to inform those particular white communities—would the LGBT community sell their homes and flee the Castro district if there were an influx of straight people moving in? By doing so, the racial segregation tension may lessen; however, it is not a guarantee.
I agree with Victor that a good addition to Semuels’s article would be information about if housing is segregated by gender and sexual orientation. It would be interesting to see if housing segregation occurs between members of the LGBT community and straight individuals as much as it does between people of different races. Semuels could also examine if different areas that are known to be highly populated with LGBT individuals have different local policies that cater toward LGBT individuals, like how high or low income areas have policies that support their demographics. As Victor mentions, it would also be interesting for Semuels to see if straight individuals are inclined to want to move when members of the LGBT community move into their neighborhoods, and if LGBT individuals living in LGBT communities want to sell their homes when straight people move in. If so, this could show that housing discrimination and segregation occurs between people of different sexual orientations, not just people of different races. Obtaining information about how much housing is segregated by sexual orientation could help the government plan to take steps to create policies that would give everyone equal access to buying houses, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
In this article, the author’s main argument is that housing segregation make more white people live in suburbs and more black live in city, and making the whole nation become two societies. This make the whole society become more separate and unequal, people would love to live with the community with their own color. In the past, white people moved from city to suburbs when they see black neighbors move in next door. But now the even move from suburbs to farther out area to have the all-white neighborhoods. Not only white people and black people would have the housing segregation, even Asian and Hispanic would willing to move into the same race community. I really want to know what exactly divergent community would hurt your family. In the reality, people become more and more less care about your neighbors. Some time you don’t even know what their name is. So what is the whole point for live in all-white neighborhoods, or the same race community? All the people are equal, no matter what race they are, or what type of community they live in.
If the author would rewrite her article. I think it would be better if she has more interviews about how different generation thinks to live in a same race community. First, she can interview some white first generation who try to avoid live with black people that move to suburbs. She can ask about how they feel when they first move in, and did they move to other places to avoid their new neighbors are other races. Also, after all these years pass what they think about to live in a all white neighborhoods. Second, she can interview some teenage to ask about how they think if they can choose where to live, would they choose to live in a same race community or a diverse-race community? People should be equal at this time, should not judge people by their skin colors. People have no right to choose what color they can be, everyone should be equal and let the society to drop the prejudice. Hoping to have a single society that all the people can be free to live and work, and color of their skin will no longer be a problem.
In the article “White Flight Never Ended”, by Alana Semuels, the author asserts that although many believe we are currently living in a post-racial era segregation is actually becoming more pronounced. Many years ago, race riots caused America to investigate the “underlying causes of racial tension”. This lead to the famous conclusion that our nation had two different societies--one black and the other white. Although we would like to believe that much has changed since then, segregation remains prominent in our society today. African Americans no longer live in the inner cities, however, the suburbs they have moved into mainly consist of African American residents. These patterns of segregation are not only between” black and white towns” but Asian and Hispanic as well. If the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting if she included more data. It would be interesting to see when such residential segregation had taken place or where it seems to be more prominent. I believe if she included comparisons across neighborhoods or different ethnic groups it would further support her argument. Also, the author did not go into much detail on what the underlying cause of residential segregation. If she included interviews on residents and what they thought was causing the segregation, it would be interesting to see.
White Flight Never Ended In “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuels discusses the residential separation between races. She begins the article with the Kerner Report, and the information of what was found to be a huge cause of the racial tension in the country. White society branched off and excluded those of color from their world - employment, housing, and educational opportunities were kept further away from blacks. Samuels then states that while people like to believe changes have been made since then, there is evidence that contradicts those beliefs. In fact, she found from a study that segregation is more distinctive in present America. Ultimately, people are still attracted to areas that are known to have people with similar backgrounds. One way that the segregation continues to be perpetuated are with laws made against affordable housing and apartment building. “White” and “colored” areas are now found to exist in suburban and city life. In the past, suburbs were reserved - for the most part - for white families while people of color filled inner-cities. However, minority groups as of recently have been increasingly ousted in favor of people - often white Americans - who are able to pay more for the convenience of the area within the city that was once looked down upon. The main difference found in residential segregation in the present is that it is not just between whites and blacks anymore; segregation is now happening with Asian and Hispanic residents as well. Semuel ends the article touching upon new rules that require metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation and find ways to address it in order to receive government support.
If the author was to rewrite the article, I would be interested in reading more about the new rules. I would like to gain a better understanding of people’s ideas in addressing any segregations that is found within their respective residential areas. It’s difficult to think of a universals solution because it is completely dependent on the community and the personalities of individuals. It was disheartening to read about the lack of actual changes made in society, especially in regards to this topic. It’s something that I never even noticed myself, and I witnessed a lot of what was discussed within the article about residential segregation. Personally, I saw a lot of the “ousting” of minority residents in favor of white Americans in areas that were once unpopular locations. For example, Oakland was a nearby town that was seen as “ghetto” because it was mostly people of color, but as of recently I noticed that a lot of people have began moving in that area, which resulted in the minority residents being kicked out because they were not able to match what the incoming residents offered as rent.
I also agree that it would be interesting to explore ideas for how to address segregation. I’ve read that Singapore as a forced housing integration system where public housing estates have an enforced ethnic quota. These public housing estates account for much of housing in Singaporeans and sales of an apartment must not result in exceeding the group limit. Singapore attributes much of its economic success to this diversity, however, I doubt that this widespread program would be a good fit for America given its relationship with personal freedoms. But even though America may not adapt this exact program, we can still learn from these cases.
In “White Flight Never Ended” Alana Semuels uses statistics to show how despite laws to prevent discrimination in things such as housing, it still exists. Whites don’t move into areas mostly populated by minorities, and tenants make it difficult for minorities to live in white areas. Statistics show that as white population in an area decreases, minority population increases. It’s as though whites are moving out due to the increase in the number of minorities, which is completely legal. In this way, areas still tend to be segregated by race regardless of government policies. To make the article more informative, Semuels could have interviewed whites and minorities that have moved. For example, a question could be how the racial demographics of areas affected their decisions. Did a white person move because they didn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, perhaps? Did minorities specifically want to move into more upscale white neighborhoods but could that they couldn’t? There is a strong correlation as shown by the statistics, but actual perspectives would’ve been very helpful in understanding the situation.
In her article “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuels’s main argument is that racial segregation is still increasing in the United States despite the common belief that it has ended. Many think that racial segregation has come to an end because of the election of President Obama, the use of interracial couples in advertisements, or statistics which show minorities living in the suburbs. However, segregation within suburban areas is increasing, making some suburbs mostly black and others predominantly white. Whites have also moved to unincorporated areas or exclusive gated-communities, thereby separating themselves from other minorities. Semuels also points out that he division of different races amongst different areas has led to policy changes in each area that reflect their demographics. In “black” areas such as Ferguson, Missouri, the government allowed for the building of low-income and mixed income housing, whereas some “white” neighborhoods pass legislation to prevent construction of apartments. Since these local acts have contributed to the segregation of different races in different areas, the federal government is trying to enact changes that will promote areas to take steps to achieve housing equality, such as changing their methods of distributing housing money to require areas statistically determine segregation and act to change it.
If Alana Semuels rewrote her article, I think it would be interesting for her to add more information about some of the differences in local policies that black and white areas have enacted due to their different demographics. This article reminded me of how the community I grew up in tried to fight the construction of apartments and I remember that people were upset when the bill was passed. I am sure that there are plenty of other local policies that “white” communities enact to stay affluent and “black” communities pass to help lower-income families. It would be interesting to compare how local policies that have to do with education, parks, and commercial areas differ between racially segregated communities. Perhaps “white” affluent communities provide more funding for schools to purchase educational resources, which would attract affluent families who value education to that community. Maybe “black” communities will have more educational improvement programs for students, which would attract other black families who see this as a good opportunity for their children. It would be interesting to see how all sorts of local policies can perpetuate racial segregation in communities, and this information would be useful for lawmakers to create plans that can help end the segregation.
I do agree with you that one of the main points of her article is that racial segregation is still here today and in some areas it is actually increasing, but I disagree that it is a common belief that it has ended. Even though there is no more extreme racism today, it is a common fallacy to assume that since there is no more slavery or that the country has a black president that racism has just ended. Racism has always been there, but now it is just more subtle. I do agree that it would be interesting to know more about the difference in policies, if there are any, between the different areas to show if there are differences in accessibility or amenities that people in white neighborhoods have over people in colored neighborhoods. I also agree with you that local policies have can have a great impact on how the people in these neighborhoods live because it can provide them with the things they need like proper schooling or housing, but it can also deprave them of that.
"The Role of Highways in American Poverty" by Alana Semuels
Semuels' main argument in her article "The Role of Highways in American Poverty" is that highways are being viewed differently than they were 50 years ago. Semuels points out how the increase from "60 percent of americans" owning cars in 1940 to "80 percent" in 1960 cause the cities to build major highways in order to accommodate the increase in cars and to allow easier access to the city. Semuels says the city planners thought they needed "unclogged arteries for a working circulatory system" to justify the highway construction. An example Semuels gives is of the 15th Ward in Syracuse, which was a "scene of abject poverty" so the city built I-81 through it. This "decimated a close-knit African American community" and actually "hurt the city’s finances, too" since more people were moving to the suburbs. Semuels says today there is a "different kind of discrimination than half a century ago" in the housing market, due to new neighborhoods being built where only wealthy people can afford to live there while the poor are stuck in the inner cities. This is why today Syracuse "has the highest concentration of poverty in America" Semuels says. Highways may have once had a positive impact on city health 50 years ago, but now many cities are opting to remove some major highways and build integrated neighborhoods to fix their problems, as Semuels states.
I think if Semuels was to rewrite her article it would be beneficial to include more data concerning her claim of how "young professionals and Baby Boomers are moving back to inner cities" and what effect this has. If these wealthy people are moving back into the inner cities, where are they living? Does this alone fix the problem of segregation that the highways created? This would help the reader understand the other ways to "make a city healthy again" that Semuels refers to. Another thing she could include are examples of the other "barriers" that prevent "residents from reaching their full opportunity" that she alludes to. Semuels has given highways as an example of what makes cities sick, but it would be nice to have another "barrier" to compare the highways to as a way to measure the impact each one has.
The author argues how although it appears that segregation is decreasing, in reality it is still very prevalent, especially in the makeup of cities and suburbs. In the past, segregration was more visibly apparent, as cities were primarily all black and suburbs were primarily all white. Today, both white and black individuals live in both the suburbs and cities, but they are segregated into black or white suburbs and neighborhoods in the cities. Many white families choose to move to "all white neighborhoods, affluent gated communities, or unincorporated housing developments”, which causes the geographical separation of the races. This inhibits many people of color from moving into certain areas because they simply don't have the money to afford housing. In response to these changes in racial demographics, city officials often implement the development of low-cost housing for minority groups. The author analyzes how these unfair policies continue to exist because white individuals hold the majority of the power in city policy, especially in regards to zoning. Segregation is also subtly perpetuated by real estate agents who encourage people to stay within areas that are comprised of individuals of their same race.
If the author were to rewrite this article, she could include research on the prevalence of other minority groups in cities and suburbs. She introduces this idea by explaining how "whites seem more amenable to Asian or Hispanic families moving into their neighborhoods (than blacks)" but simply presents this small piece of research and never develops it further. We learned in both of the class documentaries that certain segregation policies were originally created to keep blacks out of white communities. However, the segregration policies often directly and indirectly affect individuals of other racial minorities and forces them into low-income areas. It also would be interesting if the author surveyed individuals across racial groups and asked them their opinions about living with groups of other racial backgrounds. In addition to housing policy, it is likely that individuals choose to live with people of their own race because they are afraid to live with those different from them.
In this article, Alana Semuels argues that segregation is becoming more pronounced in many American neighborhoods. Throughout her article, she discusses the growing problem of gentrification, or “a trend in urban neighborhoods, which results in increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses” (New Webster). In the past, there was extreme racial divisions within cities, due to many practices outlined by the Kerner Commission including white flight, exclusionary zoning, and prejudice. After the Fair Housing Act was passed, many white families moved from cities to suburbs. When African American neighbors moved in next to them in the suburbs, the white community moved to farther-out “fringe” areas, such as affluent gated communities (Semuels 3). As a result, suburbs became increasingly segregated in addition to metropolitan areas. While in some situations cities are becoming more and more diverse, the opposite is occurring in many places concurrently.
Semuel’s most important argument is her discussion of how whites attempt to segregate communities through legislation. Whites often create extreme qualifications in attempt to control who can live in their communities. By doing so, they create homogenous living communities and perpetuate the idea that we must surround ourselves with members of our race.
Although Semuel attempted to address all races within her argument, I think her argument would have been strengthened if she had included more information on segregation in Asian and Hispanic communities. Much of her argument discusses segregation between blacks and whites in communities. However, in many states, especially California, racial/housing segregation is more prominent among other minority groups and whites. Furthermore, I believe her argument would be stronger if she had cited more qualitative data.
The author’s most important argument is that the systematic institutionalized policies that segregated Blacks and Whites in the 1960’s are still happening today. In the past, African Americans were segregated to the cities and Whites to the suburbs. Statistical evidence show that today these areas are less segregated meaning that there are more blacks in the suburbs and more whites in the city, but this only tells us half of the story. While generally suburbs are populated with more African Americans, the suburbs themselves are further segregated into White suburbs and Black suburbs; the same goes for cities too. This new form of segregation is perpetuated by newer sneakier policies. Real estate agents still guide families into neighborhoods with similar races. All white communities ban the development of low income housing, and when whites move into cities the prices of housing shoots up and displaces minority families. This argument is important because it goes into direct opposition with the idea that because we have a Black and White president that we live in a post racial society, but we clearly do not. People are still being segregated, but averaged data shows that segregation is decreasing. This article shows that the fight is not over, we still need to work for a better equal society.
If the author were to rewrite this article I feel that she should include a piece about gentrification and the effects that young tech employees are having on the population of minorities in the inner city. Places like San Francisco and New York are so expensive that in order to live there comfortably you need to either be a hedge fund manager or a prince. I would like to see more information on how newly gentrified cities are reacting to the influx of young techies and how we can help the people being forced out of there homes. This article did a good job tackling how segregation still exists in the suburbs but somewhat neglected how is happening in the cities. Also many people think that gentrification is a good thing because it raises property values and increases government attention to the area, but the author should talk about the detrimental effect that also comes with gentrifying a previously poor neighborhood.
In this article, Semuels’ main argument is against the belief that America has reached an end of segregation as suggested by suburbs and cities each as a whole becoming more diverse. Semuels argues that segregation is actually becoming more pronounced when one examines the areas within suburbs and cities. Semuels supports this argument by noting that the practices that create segregation such as exclusionary zoning, prejudice, and white flight are no longer exclusive features of suburbs, but are also apparent in cities. Furthermore, contrary to previous data that suggested that segregation between black and white populations was declining, based on the finding that there were more minorities in suburbs which have historically been associated with white populations, these suburbs were sometimes primarily white or black. It is also true that there are some cities that are primarily of one racial group. This argument is important because it provides context and supports why there is a need for new policies that require metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation and address it.
If the author were to rewrite the article, I would like to see how other cities have approached and addressed housing segregation or any suggestions that the author would have. Cities have multiple interests that may conflict and finding policies that are effective and fair for everyone can. In cities that don’t have a lot of new construction, requirements that a percentage of construction must be of low-cost housing may be of limited effectiveness. Cities would also have to respond to the “young whites and baby boomers” that are moving in, raising rent prices, and possibly displacing the previous residents. It would be interesting to see how many cities saw this gentrification as favorable for their economy and permitted it, or if they responded to it as a need to protect renters from rent increase and displacement.
In this article the author talks about how segregation is actually increasing within the inner cities and within the suburbs. Although past research has claimed that these communities were becoming more diverse through the work of the Fair Housing Act, it turns out that those numbers were misleading. The research looked at too broad of a scope and misattributed the increase in overall diversity with a more even spacing of those diverse families. True there were more minorities moving out into the suburbs but they were forming their own pockets of minority due to exclusionary zoning laws and even more white flight. The same thing was happening in the inner cities. With more minorities moving out and the prices being so low, many younger white people were moving back into the cities, making pockets of white neighborhoods within the cities and driving the prices back up. The author makes an important distinction that just because it may look like it on the outside, nothing has really changed when it comes to segregation.
If the author to rewrite the article I would want to see some interviews with real estate agents and policymakers that talked about not only about current policy, but perhaps policy that changes the way real estate agents do their job. It clear to see that segregation is still happening because having white people in the neighborhood is good for prices and vice versa when minorities move into the neighborhood. What if we could cut that bias off at the grassroots level and make it not common practice for the agents to promote that kind of behavior. If the stigma that having white people in a neighborhood affords that neighborhood more value is abandoned then reintegrating neighborhoods would be a much easier process.
I think Jacob brings up an interesting point that real estate agents play a large role in developing the racial structure in neighborhoods, but I think this issue is too far entrenched for real change to happen on this level. I think it could potentially be useful, but the initial structuring of the FHA and the inherent racial biases that devalued "black property" has made it so that black people do not have an asset base, which has led to a culture of debt. It has gotten to the point where we have made our stereotypes come true, and black people are less educated, less wealthy, and less healthy than white people, and those things need to be corrected before any real change in our biases can occur. There are some black people who will be successful enough to make it through the biased system, but they will be inherently crippled through devaluation of their assets, and permanent change won't happen until black people as a whole are given a fair chance to succeed.
The author's most important argument is despite the fair housing act and reports that say segregation is on the decline, white/black/minority neighborhoods still exist and are becoming increasingly homogenous. He argues that while blacks aren't solely living in inner cities anymore, the suburbs they live in are majority black. White flight is still happening, but instead of moving from cities to suburbs, whites are fleeing to farther fringe areas. Not only is this a trend between black and white communities, but also asian and hispanic. Cities will also use city zoning to exclude low income housing which promotes diversity.
If the author were to rewrite the article I would try and sample data from residents. For example survey residents of towns and ask what they believed the trend of diversity was in their specific town. Also ask if they believed in city zoning excluding certain types of housing that may promote diversity. I would also add relevant data for different parts of the country, as the trends found in the article may be true for parts of the east coast but they may differ for cities and areas in places like California.
I completely agree with the points you summarized from the article. I like how you noticed that residential segregation was a trend among other communities, such as asian and hispanic, and I wish the author had spent more time applying his argument to these groups. Like yourself, I believe a major weak point in the author's argument was the lack of quantitative data. I too believe sampling data from residents around the country could paint a larger portrait of the issue of residential segregation in America. By doing so, you could compare trends regarding residential segregation among different regions of the country.
In this article, Alana Samuels is raising awareness to her audience that even today in this day and age, there is racial segregation in neighborhoods and communities. Samuel's argument is that even though we now have a Black president, there is segregation amongst races, and there has not been much change since 50 years ago. Neighborhoods are still dominated either by whites, blacks, asians, and hispanics. Suburbs that were only 26% hispanic are now 70% hispanic which shows that there is still not equality amongst all and people tend to live in areas where they can connect to those of the same race. Real Estate also plays a role in helping people find homes in suburbs; they may guide people to areas of living that are of that family's or person's race instead of being neutral towards the color of their skin. Back in the 60's blacks were segregated to the cities and whites were segregated to the suburbs however now there are "black" and "white" suburbs, and white people tend to migrate away from areas where there is a higher population of black people. The country is still two races, one black and one white.
If the author were to rewrite this, I think it would be interesting to hear the thoughts of neighbors living in these white suburbs or black suburbs. It would be interesting to see if these residents are aware of this segregation that is occurring in their neighborhoods, and if they are what are they going to do to reduce this segregation. I believe that knowledge is the most powerful tool one can have, if we are aware and conscious of our actions we have knowledge and we are not ignorant. Ignorance is the reason why we have inequality, segregation, and discrimination in our society today. If we were all knowledgable to know that we are all one regardless of the color of our skin and we are all working hard to our best capabilities then issue of race would be diminished.
I agree with Taraneh that the author should include interviews or voices from the people that lives in the black and white suburbs neighbourhoods. I would like to know the reason why they moved in or moved out, whether it is because they want to be with their own race and why they would want to.So I think if the author included quotes of the residents, it would provide a fuller picture of the situation and have inside voices heard and not just the government. I would like to find out if people are aware of the segregation and if they are aware of racial inequality. If they are, do they think it is normal and would they do anything to stop it? This is an interesting topic to explore on.
I also agree that it would be interesting to hear from people living in Black or White suburbs about how segregated they think their community is. I myself thought that I lived in a pretty diverse city, Oakland, but after the lecture on social segregation I realized that even though there were Black and Mexican people in my neighborhood, most of my actual neighbors where Asian. I am also Asian. So I would like to know if other people are ignorant of their segregation as well. I agree with this statement because too often people like telling us that racism doesn’t exist anymore even when they are living in it. Opening up peoples eyes to how their living preferences helps to sustain segregation is a good place for us to start moving forward as a country.
I agree with Taraneh's analysis of Semuels' argument that even now there is racial residential segregation. Although it has been 50 years since the race riots, any change regarding racial discrimination or segregation is minimal. I also agree with Taraneh that including the voices of the people living in Black or White suburbs would be help gain insight in whether they are aware of the racial residential segregation or not. However, I would say only the ones who care about the racial residential segregation tension would do anything about it. Typically in this case, it is better to have interviews rather than observations on those people since you would be able hear what is really going on instead of any predictions. It is definitely true that ignorance is inflicted upon many people, which leads to unfortunate events such as segregation. Many people are fixated on the notion that racial discrimination or segregation is in the past due to interracial couples or a Black president; however, it still very well exists and they cannot seem to perceive it well enough. By putting those people in the racially discriminated/segregated people's position, they would be knowledgeable that we are all the same beings.
The Role of Highways in American Poverty by Alana Semuels
In the 1950s, communities in the cities became overpopulated and congested so city planner turned to building highways as a means to alleviate this issue. Alana Semuels, the author, points out that this practice was specifically targeted at African Americans, who the city planners saw as “unhealthy organs that needed to be removed.” African Americans and other minorities had become concentrated in the slums of the city because of the policies that the federal government adopted in regards to home loans. They used the practice of redlining to deny them the loans needed to purchase a home in an area with better schools and job opportunities, further pushing them into poverty. Cities began tearing down homes in inner cities to make way for the construction of highways, like they did in the 15th Ward in Syracuse, NY. As a result, they displaced many African Americans, leaving them worse off. Unfortunately, the nice suburbs that began to boom from the implementation of highways were generally off limits to the African Americans. In the small areas where African Americans could find housing, they were surrounded by other poor people who also were struggling to make ends meet. Semuels argues that those who live in concentrated poverty generally are less prone to success, as low-income neighborhoods do not have the same enriching environment that suburbs have, with good schools, parks, and places to ride bikes. While poverty is not the direct result of the construction of highways, they certainly do create a separation of those who are wealthy and those who are poor, which contributes to the poor become poorer and the wealthy becoming wealthier.
If the Semuels were to re-write the article, she should discuss more than one community where the construction of highways influenced poverty. She names other cities that tore down their highways to remove traffic clogging and improve their economic opportunities, but she does not explain how these highways negatively impacted the community in regards to race and poverty. Additionally, Semuels should analyze more than one race where redlining and displacement from highways prolonged their poverty. She definitely proves that African Americans in the 15th Ward suffered at the expense of the highway boom, but this single case may not be compelling enough for some audiences. By comparing the situations of different communities in different cities and the various races within them, she could draw stronger connections to prove that highways have played a role in poverty.
I agree with Elizabeth that Semuels should discuss other communities where highways were built, besides the 15th ward and Syracuse. This one example in detail makes it easy to understand, but such a small sample size may misrepresent the true data. I also agree focusing on other races would be helpful as well, not just the negative impact it had on African Americans. Looking at only the effect on one race does not do justice to the true extent of segregation the highways created for many races. Semuels would not have to go into great detail on the effect on every race or every community, but at least mentioning some specifics would give the article more depth and credibility.
The free world exists today because of our forefathers, those men who fought against the British monarchy, and established a government represented by the people, for the people. It is good that the power of the government is limited, so that the American population might exist as a self-regulated entity. This country is supposed to be one in which the population determines the regulations, and the government enforces them, but the rhetoric has shifted away from that, especially when it comes to economics. The free market abandons regulations, which has equal chance for abuse as a monarchy does. In the article “White Flight and Segregation,” Semuels argues that poor government oversight in the housing market allowed for abuses that ended up hurting minorities. Real estate agents played off of racial fears to get white people to sell their homes for cheap, and sold the homes to black couples for much more. These biases helped to create segregated neighborhoods, and even with some government policies in place today, there are still significant abuses and biases that occur. While whole metropolitan areas are racially diverse, neighborhoods are not. This creates inequality because the value of people’s assets is being assigned based on the color of their skins, which is unfair. Many people today believe that racism is not the problem it was 50 years ago, but there is still a lot of progress to be made.
If Semuels were to rewrite the article, I would be interested in having some hard data presented in some graphic form. I think it would be interesting to compare the relative value of homes as neighborhoods shift to become predominantly minority areas. What is the average income of black families when they first enter white neighborhoods compared to the income of black families who move in later on? Is it not only difficult to get out of poverty as a minority, but is it also harder to hold onto wealth? A comparison between the income and assets of black and white families would potentially be useful in understanding how black individuals maintain wealth.
Alana Samuels argues that segregation runs rampant today and presents statistics to make her case. When redlining rose to prominence in the 60's, segregation was inevitable as housing authority employees were taught to segregate neighborhoods. When the systematic racism was recognized, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed, but there is a clear distinction between white and minority neighborhoods today. Many people believe that segregation is a problem of the past based on popularized interracial portrayals on commercials or the color of our president. Prejudice in housing still exists both in the cities and the suburbs. Black suburbs and white suburbs exist separately and unequally. It has been noted that white neighborhoods are more welcome to other minorities, but the bleak gap between white and black people is still very present. When the author mentioned the Cheerios commercial, I remembered how so many people were outraged by the commercial. The author should try to interview people who believe that segregation is over. It is important for people to recognize that racism is not over; so many people were "surprised" by how articulate President Obama is. I also think that the author should specify more about the white flight itself. While I do appreciate the information and data the author presents, I thought I would hear more about white neighborhoods after minorities move in, based on the title. I would also like more information about how white people react to other minorities.
I agree with Enrica because it is true most of the time we just get the same points over and over again that there has been segregation based on observations and the reality of neighborhoods but sometimes we are so involved in our own lives that we do not even recognize there is racial segregation. I truly was not as aware until this class because I had been to neighborhoods where there was a great deal of segregation but I somehow looked passed it and it did not occur to me the severity of the segregation. So if there were actual interviews from people living in racially segregated neighborhoods and enlightened them with the reality of where they live, we would be able to raise more awareness of what is happening today versus just observing and seeing which racial groups live together.
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ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument is segregation is increasing in both suburbs and cities. Older studies suggest that segregation is declining since people of color have moved out of cities to suburbs. More recent research, however, shows that while this is true, black people are moving to majority black neighborhoods and other suburbs are mostly white. Certain local policies allow for communities to be labeled this way, such as construction of low-income and mixed-income housing. In addition, white neighborhoods may have policies such as exclusionary zoning laws aimed to keep minorities out. Some solutions to this type of discrimination are seen in the Fair Housing Act and the Obama administration’s decision to overhaul how the government distributes housing money.
ReplyDeleteIf the author were to rewrite her article, she could discuss if and how the LGBT community is affected by this type of discrimination. There are certainly communities that are known for being more LGBT-friendly than others, such as the Castro in San Francisco. Do LGBT individuals move to places where there is a large LGBT community? Are there policies in other communities that are aimed at keeping the LGBT community out? Although the author is specifically discussing racial discrimination, it would be interesting to see data about discrimination against the LGBT community.
Although I think that it would be interesting if the author were to include statistics about the LGBT community and how they're affected by segregation, I think that for the purpose of this article it would be harder to make the same point. For instance, the LGBT community is comprised of people from different nationalities and ethnicities which would make it much harder for whites and blacks to segregate them based on their skin color. Also, it would be harder for communities to distinguish between who is associated with LGBT and who isn't. Interestingly, I do think that some neighborhoods are more LGBT friendly, particularly in San Francisco and other cities that are more openly LGBT friendly, and I think that this also comes from years of conditioning and a slow progressive movement over time that led to these areas becoming more LGBT friendly.
DeleteOops I forgot to say that this was about the "White Flight Never Ended" article!
DeleteWhile I agree with Jason To about the purpose of the article and how it would be harder to make the same points about the LGBT community. I think the author could have at least acknowledged other factors besides races within speaking about housing. While race has been an essential factor that people judge upon, sexual orientation and gender only add to that discrimination. I believe when talking about society and social issues there is no right or wrong because there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when dealing with societal conflicts. However, I believe it is important to lie out all the factors that people can take into consideration when purchasing housing and what can cause housing segregation.
DeleteI agree with Zoe in that the author’s most important argument is about the current state of segregation. While there are laws to prevent discrimination in things such as housing, it still exists. Whites don’t move into areas mostly populated by minorities, and tenants make it difficult for minorities to live in white areas. Statistics show that as white population in an area decreases, minority population increases. It’s as though whites are moving out due to the increase in the number of minorities, which is completely legal. In this way, areas still tend to be segregated by race regardless of government policies.
DeleteI disagree with Zoe in regards to having LGBT data, as while it shares a similar theme to the whole racial discrimination, it seems like a much smaller scale problem that affects far fewer people and would make conclusions from data difficult, i.e. what if they’re gay and white and got denied, gay and black and got accepted, etc. Instead, I feel that to make the article more informative, Semuels could have interviewed whites and minorities that have moved. For example, a question could be how the racial demographics of areas affected their decisions. Did a white person move because they didn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, perhaps? Did minorities specifically want to move into more upscale white neighborhoods but could that they couldn’t? There is a strong correlation as shown by the statistics, but actual perspectives would’ve been very helpful in understanding the situation.
I think it will be interesting to have the data about LGBT community that affect by housing segregation. Even thought people are having a very open mind about the LGBT community and in California even allow to have gay marriage. But in fact, still have many people that have a negative influence about how to treat LGBT community. If the author can have statistics about how LGBT community affect by segregation. That will even better to help people to understand how different segregation are affect people in different way, not only being racism for people skin color. Also racism about their sexual orientation. I think people choosing where to live should base on is that neighborhoods are safe? And It is the community being friendly to everyone? That should be the only consideration that people should care. People should not choose where to live only by it their same skin color in the neighborhood. Hoping the society can come up with the plan that can help people have no more housing segregation by skin color or sexual orientation.
DeleteWhite Flight Never Ended by Alana Seumuels
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "White Flight Never Ended," by Alana Seumuels, the author describes how segregation began in America due to whites moving in the suburbs where blacks were excluded from equal opportunity, housing, and employment. He later describes how much of America believes that we moved passed this segregation with the election of a black president and how interracial couples are starting to appear on national networks and commercials. Some studies have found that whites are starting to move from the inner cities to more suburban areas that are majority black. Interestingly, whites are moving back to majority black neighborhoods that their previous generation(s) moved away from years ago. However, there are still some cases where real estate agents and populations tend to live in neighborhood where their ethnic group is the minority. However, even though there are some neighborhoods where diversity gets more diverse, a majority of them still segregate due to housing affordability or other restrictions.
I think that the article can be improved by showing a national statistics of ethnic groups living in suburban and city-like areas. This would help improve the evidence by giving a visual image of how segregation is still apparent primarily in either low or high income families. Also, I think that including a segregation sheet of ethnic groups based on social class would help support the argument. This would demonstrate if the imbalance between where they're living and the jobs that they get is primarily based on how wealthy they are because of job opportunity or if groups of the same social class just don't live in the same area. Since this article was written a year ago and Obama's presidency is coming to an end, I think it would be helpful to include if there was any drastic changes due to Obama's regime that affected housing segregation. This would put into account whether or not having an ethnic group president actually changed how America's viewed segregation between ethnic groups.
The Role of Highways in American Poverty
ReplyDeleteIn Alana Semuels’s article “The Role of Highways in American Poverty,” some of the early history of highways in American cities is outlined highlighting their role in the ongoing discrimination against African American communities. In the 1950s, highways were a solution to a new problem many cities were facing – with the urbanization of cities and increasing prevalence of cars, traffic on small roads not built for such use was becoming an issue. Another “problem” of the time was the existence of poor neighborhoods, where black individuals were forced to live after being denied housing everywhere else. City planners decided to use their federally-funded highways as an excuse to tear down some of these communities while putting a convenient highway through to the business centers of the city, thus solving two problems at once. Today, these highways seem to be turning into a burden which is keeping a city from reaching full potential – there are plenty of ways into and out of the city, but these major roadways prevent a neighborhood from having a “close-knit” feel. Also, as an end result of the discrimination seen before, black and poor communities are denser than ever. Semuels suggests that projects to integrate poor and wealthy, white and black communities are the best option today to end the cycle of poverty which keeps those neighborhoods from changing.
Were Alana to rewrite her article, I may suggest that she include more examples of ways which urban planning has affected the movement of communities into and out of certain parts of a city. She mentions such city services as public transportation and schools which cities are having a hard time being able to afford, but these features should definitely have an effect on the communities which surround them, possibly even more so than the highways. Should state or federal governments provide extra incentives or subsidies to encourage more integration and transportation by these means, like how they did with highways in the 50s? It would help to look at these items from a historical point of view as well as a modern one, to see how urban development has changed poverty and either encouraged or discouraged artificial segregation. Although the article by the title is about highways, I think a more comprehensive look at urbanization through the years would give a large and useful picture of how communities react and adapt to their changing environments.
That's completely true. When I reflect back on the article, she doesn't mention instances of ways urban planning has found to be successful in treating the role of highways in poverty. If the author gave a more detailed look about urbanization it would give us a clear picture of how certain communities react and change in their environments. However, I did find this article very interesting, you don't think about how a highway could lead a city into poverty such as the Syracuse example she discussed. As her evidence shown, highways can divide a city and that can lead to future economic problems. Also a question we should be asking is if they were to redo all major highways, what would they change to make sure close knit community's were decimated?
DeleteWhite Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn White Flight Never Ended, Alana Semuels talks about the housing segregation caused by racism. The white had moved to suburbs to avoid living with the black. However, once the black moved to the suburbs, they moved back to the inner cities again to exclude the black from the communities. Not only the black but also other nonwhite groups were also excluded from the white communities. Even though the government has tried to give out mortgage to the black so that they could afford the white communities’ housing, the black are more inclined to live with the black. Just like the white are more inclined to live with the white; people prefer to live within their own groups.
If Alana rewrote this article, I think she could write about some opinions and phrases about the housing segregation from different groups of people who live in the different communities, such as the black from the black communities, the black from the white communities, the white from the white communities, etc. They would be more persuasive and clearer to show the causes of the racism of housing segregation. In addition, Alana emphasizes housing segregation’s tension between the black and white and talk a few about the other racial groups. I also suggest she could write more and provide more examples about how other nonwhite groups were excluded by the white.
I agree with Ymeng and would find the article more interesting if Alana were to include personal accounts from the different ethnic groups about how they view their housing situations. I wonder if the few blacks in the predominantly white neighborhoods did something on their housing application or interview that distinguished them from other black applicants. I would be interested in knowing if there was any key factors that separated those who got their housing application approved from those who didn't. I think that having interview accounts from the different people and how they view their housing situation and the segregation between the two races would not be as beneficial because there are already a lot of accounts of race prejudices and how ethnic groups view their situation. I agree with Yumeng in that it's important to see if there are other races as well that feel the same type of discrimination and/or privilege as the whites and blacks face in the housing market.
DeleteGood post Yumeng and I do agree with your statement about even though the government has provided housing mortgage to help african american to afford the white community housing, the society has created a barrier that prevents them to live with the same neighborhood. From my perspective, the major factor of housing segregation in the United States would be the racist mindset that the society have created. For example, white people should not live in the same neighborhood with the black because most of them are involved with crime. This type of notion has been placing the majority of ethnic groups in pain and it is totally unfair for them as they have the same education background and economic status with the mainstream.
DeleteTo me, i would also be interested if the author focus on the perspective of Latin American and Asian American, so that it allows more readers to concern about the problem of housing segregation and racial discrimination in the United States.
“White Flight Never Ended” by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteThe author’s main argument is that while many Americans believe that we have changed in how we view race, there is still an increasing divide between white people and black people. In today’s society, many Americans would hope to believe we have changes and accepted other races because we have a black president and we see more interracial couples on media. There have been studies that actually show that segregation is actually becoming more common in neighborhoods. As a result of this, America experiences “white flight.” “White flight” is when white people sell their homes to get away from black families and neighborhoods. Unlike the past, much of today’s segregation is both in cities and suburb. Nonetheless, white community have a “exclusionary zoning law” to reinforce having all the white people together. This law makes it difficult to build mixed-income housing in certain areas. Which also makes it difficult for minorities to live around white people. It wasn’t until the Obama Administration announced an overhaul of how the government would be able to distribute housing people within the Fair Housing Act that a new rule was implemented – making it housing situations better.
If Alana Semuel were to rewrite this article, the issues and topics I would suggest her to include more information about other races and ethnically. I feel as if when people see racism in America, they only see black vs. white, they never see other races. In addition, while the Fair Housing Act helps race and ethnicity, there are many other factors I wish the author included. I think it would be beneficial to learn about other minority groups, such as women when compared to men, the LGBT community, and etc. As a San Francisco resident, I would like to learn about how San Francisco became to be so famous within the LGBT community. In addition, I would love to learn about the data behind women purchasing housing and observe if there is discrimination within women vs. men purchasing homes.
I strongly agree with Jessica's point that the author needs to revisit the issue of racial housing segregation with more attention to the other races. As a San Francisco resident myself, I know of districts and towns that are known as something other than typically "white," or "black." While racism against African-Americans has been historically recognized, racism and microaggression against other races minority groups are often overlooked and unacknowledged. As a reader, I would like to know whether there is any correlation between races and their likelihood of renting vs. having a mortgage. Inclusion of data on homeowners belonging to other races minorities may help make this article more insightful and revealing.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with Jamie and Jessica that the author should analyze how white flight has impacted not only African Americans, but also Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, etc., as the biases and issues that these races face will somewhat vary from those that African Americans face. Including their perspective is vital to understanding how white flight disturbs the lives of all minorities. Furthermore, the influence of white flight is not limited to minority races. LGBTQ communities experience similar discrimination in their neighborhoods and may have even more hardship if they are part of a racial minority group. San Francisco would be an excellent example of white flight and gentrification, especially with the various neighborhoods within the city where certain races are concentrated. The author could have described the history of how these neighborhoods developed and how this influenced their access to resources and decent housing in regards to white flight. It would also be interesting to see if single men and women have a harder time getting housing versus heterosexual and homosexual families when white flight takes place.
DeleteThe Role of Highways in American Poverty by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument is that highways tend to make a city sick by separating communities. She explains that the highways once used to cure “city ills” have actually had a negative effect on specific neighborhoods. In Syracuse, when the city broke up the 15th ward with the I 81 freeway for fear of race riots, the wealthier people began moving further and further out of the city. With more and more people moving out, new districts were created and tax revenue from these citizens no longer went to the city. This trend left poor minorities in the deteriorating city because they could not afford to buy the new houses on the outskirts of Syracuse. Thus, the 15th ward became a congested and noisy neighborhood full of some of the poorest individuals in Syracuse. The author claims that this has had a negative effect on the city as a whole.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I would have liked to see more evidence in the positive direction. I think it would be interesting to see data and pictures from the cities that tore down highways. Maybe she could link to more articles like The Miracle of Minneapolis. The author could also talk about how the integration of school districts has affected Louisville and the poor neighborhoods within it. This article isn’t entirely convincing; it has a lot of ideas, but lacks the data to back it up. Whether that data comes from the positive or negative side of this, I think the article would benefit from more.
Hi Dallon,
DeleteI like your idea of providing a look at ways cities have changed positively from urban development. So many articles focus on the bad, that it's hard to learn from the good examples. I know I've heard of many urban experiments of all kinds (one recently popular one was when cities in Japan and elsewhere installed blue streetlights - it turns out that the purportedly resultant drop in crime was not confirmed by reliable sources), and some of these must have had some measurable effect. It would be interesting to hear what happens when schools are built, suburbs constructed or roadways erected in modern times. If a freeway is taken down which previously had an impoverished neighborhood underneath it, would it have a positive effect on that neighborhood? It seems like it might actually hurt those with cars in terms of getting to work, but perhaps there are other factors to consider as well.
According to the article of White Flight Never Ended, the author argues that how does the segregation between the black and white populations started while whites were fleeing to suburbs and people were against people of color from employment, housing, as well as the opportunities of education. Moreover, the article has mentioned about white flight, exclusionary zoning, and outright prejudice have been creating the notion of "Black neighborhood" and "White neighborhood" in both cities and suburbs and the ideology of one nation equals to two societies, which are black and white has been wide-spreading in the society of United States nowadays. It shows that the problem of racial division is occurred in the community of the United States and the phenomenon has been increasing lately. Therefore, it leads countless people to suffer in various inequality treatments, such as housing inequality, racial discrimination, racial segregation, or unequal job opportunities.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is extremely important to know that the problem of housing segregation is not only excluding African-American, but also other ethnic groups. For example, Latin American and Asian American are also excluded by the white neighborhood. As a result, this leads the majority of minorities are inclined to live with each other. In addition, although the government provide mortgage to African American in order to help them to afford different housing in the white community, the barrier in society and outcome were still preventing them to live with the white community, such as the majority of the housing mortgage went to the white and only 2% went to African American. Hence, the social issue of housing segregation in the United States remains unsolved and becomes a serious issue in the society.
From my perspective, if I were Alana Semuel were to rewrite this article, It would be better if she provide more information and research about other races and ethnic groups instead of focusing on the perspective of Black versus White. In other word, if the author were to focus about the races of Latin American, African American and Asian American at the same time, it would be convincible to the readers and allow them to have better concepts and understanding towards white fight and housing segregation in the society of the U.S. Moreover, I would also suggest her to mention the historical context of housing segregation. For example, the documentary that professor Mccoy showed us on Monday has explained the causes and effect of housing segregation in the community. At this point, it allows readers to understand more about the problem of housing segregation in the United States and notice that this can possibly lead to different problems such as racial discrimination and unequal job opportunities.
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DeleteI agree completely with the the fact that the different views of the racial segregation would be more convincing. It certainly would be able to provide more incite into the segregation that is occurring in the housing of the U.S. However, the background of housing segregation was mentioned enough I feel to get an understanding as to where it came from. As this article focused on the present, Alana showed enough of the numbers from the past compared to the present to justify that it was a problem before and is actually still a problem. The inclusion of the racial discrimination and unequal job opportunities would also be important factors to note in the article as they can have effects on the housing segregation as well.
Delete“White flight never ended” by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the author talks about how housing segregation still exists and is prevalent even today. Her main point is that even though the country has progressed since 50 years ago, and that people of different races are more accepted, there is still racial segregation in many aspects of today’s society and one of them is the housing market. According to the article, neighborhoods today are still racially segregated. In the 1960s, white families moved out of the cities into suburbs to get away from people of color and minorities, now that these minorities have started moving into the suburbs, the white families are moving even further out into fringe areas and living in all-white neighborhoods and affluent gated communities. This is called “white flight” and it is as prevalent today as it was in the 1960s. The white communities have even come up with decisions to keep minorities out of their living areas. With white families moving out of the cities, the cities have become a community with a certain racial majority. They are referred to as black suburbs or Asian and Latino communities. With housing segregation still a problem in today’ society, President Obama has announced an overhaul of the Fair Housing Act to hopefully rectify this problem.
If she were to rewrite the article, I think that she should have included more background on the housing issues in the 1960s with the Federal Housing Administration and how they were redlining certain communities and comparing it to today’s redlining. She could also include other factors which may come into play such as the socioeconomic status of the minorities or even whites who get excluded from some communities. She could also detail the reasons why these minorities were excluded or why the whites don’t want the minorities to live close to them. She could also detail the specific ethnicities such as Latino, Asians and even Native Americans instead of just making it a mostly black and white issue.
Hi Kevin, I agree with your desire to pull statistics and compare them. I would also like to see the correlation between now and the peak of redlining. I do disagree with your suggestion to include white people who may be excluded from other neighborhoods. This article about historically excluded minorities and white flight. It is true that white people are probably excluded, but it nowhere near the scale of how minorities are excluded. It is called white flight for a reason; minorities and white people have vastly different stereotypes. Minorities are scary and drug-ridden while white people are clean and have great reputations. White people who get excluded from communities generally turns into gentrification. We should be talking more about minority marginalization, not the woes of the dominant group. White people are not at fault for their inherent privilege, but they do need to learn that minorities suffer at the hands of the privileged, and they need to learn to become allies.
DeleteHi Kevin, I like the idea of looking at why whites don't want minorities to live close to them. I think it would be really helpful to see some interviews with people. Although most people would not be outwardly racist, I think it could provide some insight into their motivations. At this point it just seems like they don't like minorities. I think it would be great to see what motivates this conscious or subconscious aversion to minorities. Whether it be a worry about their home value decreasing or a worry about their neighborhood's health, I think interviews with white people who left their neighborhoods would help illuminate the complexities of white flight. Then, a possible solution could be proposed.
Delete"White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn "White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels, the author discusses the findings of a report that states how "white areas" and "black areas" still exist in America and include both suburb and city areas. It was concluded that the research done that proved the decline of segregation was misleading. The research looked at entire metropolitan areas versus individual communities. While less blacks were living in inner city areas, the suburbs they moved to were predominantly black. The author goes on to discuss how zoning laws and administrative decisions that either make it difficult to build mixed-income housing in certain areas. The author notes that Obama has attempted to help with this issue by requiring metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation, and then take steps to address it, if they want to continue to receive money from the federal government.
If Alana were to rewrite this article, a look at why "Asian" or "Latino" communities aren't talked about as much as black and white would be intriguing. Why do the Latino and Asian communities get lumped into the same categories as black people? This possible incite with some in depth analysis would be interesting to see the different types of racial segregation occurring. Furthermore, the look at the different types of racial segregation would allow for a better attempt at fixing the problem.
Hi Greg, I agree with your response, especially in regards to expanding on racial segregation outside of white and black Americans. I noticed that often times, articles concerning racial inequality and segregation don’t have as much information about other races. This article was another instance of that. It only briefly mentioned segregation with Hispanic and Asian residents. I agree that more insight to all the different types of racial segregation is necessary in progressing past racial problems in society. Racial segregation can’t be fixed if it is only between a select few of the races. It must be tackled in all aspects and viewed in all angles of the issue to find all potential solutions - that means being inclusive of all races.
DeleteI also agree on deepening the analysis of multiple different racial segregation. The article pays too much attention on the tension between the black and the white and talks little about other racial groups. There is only one short paragraph about other racial group, and it puts Latino and Asians in to a big unnamed category for a short general discussion. In this way, the author kind of devalues the existence of other racial groups. If the author really wants to make a strong argument for nonwhites' equal housing rights, she should offer more examples for various nonwhite groups besides the black. Other nonwhite groups' equal housing issues also deserve everyone's notice.
DeleteThe Role of Highways in American Poverty
ReplyDeleteIn Alana Semuels’s article “The Role of Highways in American Poverty,” discusses how highway's used to be "the greatest single element in the cure of city ills" , when in reality it decimated many African-American communities. When highways get built, people have to relocate, the people who couldn't relocate to the suburbs were African Americans. African-Americans were denied home loans by the federal government in certain areas which is a practice called redlining. These restrictions forced African-Americans into crowded small neighborhoods. They sensually didn't have the resources to move anywhere else.The article continues to talk about Syracuse and how the construction of the I 81 decimated African American communities. They say this freeway is completely divided the city,and the people of Syracuse want to tear it down. The author contributes the freeway construction as one of the reasons why, to this day, Syracuse has the highest density of poverty in the nation. The author argues that tearing down the highway can be one way to bring a region completely together.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think more statistics could've been involved. In the article the author lists examples such as Louisville and Syracuse as places that experienced The role of highways and poverty. I would love to see if the statistic that showed how much highways actually affected cities. A study that would've worked for this wood to have been to compare some cities without direct highways vs cities like Louisville in Syracuse that have highways runnings through the middle of them. Also, I felt like the article did a poor job in showing exactly how a highway contributes to poverty. Is the separating of a community the sole problem that led to hey poor economic state? What about the communities that are doing financially very well that have highways? Overall, I liked the article and thought it was very well written, if the author added these things it could've been better as a whole.
I agree with Daniel’s analysis of the author’s argument, specifically the idea that the national highway system has negatively affected African-American communities in order to benefit cities. In order to build a roadway in an existing and developed area, land will need to be cleared and poorer residents had the unfortunate fate of not being able to relocate due to inaccessibility to housing resources. Though the highway system was viewed as a relief for the cities in order to allow more people to move further out from crowded centers, the unintended effects of its construction created poorer inner city neighborhoods that disproportionately affected African-Americans. I agree with Daniel’s idea that the author should provide statistics and data to show how poverty has changed since the construction of these roadways over neighborhoods. Data would give needed validation to show that destroying these communities made it even more difficult for those left behind to access needed resources. I also think that Daniel brings up an interesting point about analyzing if community separation is the actual cause of poverty in these areas or if underlying institutional barriers like lack of housing loan access are the true cause of disparities.
DeleteWhite Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the author illustrated the situation of racial inequality in America. Since a long time ago, racial tensions existed where white people have more privilege while black people are discriminated by not having housing, jobs and education opportunities. Although studies have shows that nowadays America is no longer racial segregated and have stepped into a "post-racial era", the author questions the study results and argued that there are still white areas and black areas, just that they exist in both cities and suburbs. The author suggests that as much as overall metro-neighbourhood segregation decreases, segregation between places are increasing. For example, white people would move out when black people start moving in because white people are more inclined to live with whites.
If the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be useful to include more data and statistics. With more numbers, it would let the readers have a more exact count of how many people are moving out and moving in etc. So that it would contribute to giving a more precise picture on how racial segregation is happening. Also, I think the author should add more background information of how the FHA has changed in 1960s and about the redlining situation. This way, it gives the readers a broader picture of how racial segregation has happened over time so they can compare it with the current situation.
I agree with Jamie and really liked the suggestion of including more quantitative data in the article. The author successfully addressed how the issue of residential segregation was examined at a meso level but neglected to incorporate a micro level analysis. Semuels did address her research from a macro level perspective as well. Through her analysis of the Kerner Report, she illuminated how this discrimination in housing leads to inequality between blacks and whites in "employment, housing, and educational opportunities". It would have been helpful if Semuels offered more suggestions on how to fix this national phenomenon of residential segregation. Similar to Jamie, I was also curious to find out what, if any, changes were made to the FHA during and after its creation. Although the language might not be as explicitly racist and discriminatory as it used to be, I am interested to see what language and practices are subtly unfair in their nature and to see how the FHA can be challenged to live up to its original goal.
Delete“White Flight Never Ended” by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn the article “White Flight Never Ended” by Alana Semeuls, the author discusses the findings of a new report that parallels similar findings as the Kerner Report during the Johnson Presidency. In the past, the Kerner Report discovered that the nation was becoming racially divided with increasing Black and minority populations in the metropolitan areas and increasing White populations leaving for the suburbs. The report discussed in the author’s article argues that the nation has not progress in desegregating neighborhoods; though minorities are moving into the suburbs, they are moving into minority suburbs and not White suburbs. The author argues that these findings show that the nation has not progress in overcoming segregation despite superficial beliefs portrayed through our first Black president and minority actors in television commercials. The continuous segregation between neighborhoods gives rise to the association of certain races and ethnicities to certain suburbs and cities. As the author states, this is a result of real estate agents and lenders still continuing their practice of offering housing in neighborhoods with people of similar race and ethnicity. Furthermore, white flight allows for local governments to be more willing to develop mixed-income housing projects whereas White majority neighborhoods make it more difficult to build affordable housing for lower income individuals that may bring diversity to the neighborhood. Yet, new policies by the federal government will force local governments to gather data on neighborhood segregation to be eligible for federal housing money, which will uncover the progress still needed to create a “single society”.
If the author were to rewrite this blog, I think it would be useful to include data to support the notion that our society is more segregated than it was nearly 50 years ago. Furthermore, the author states in the article that whites are more “amenable” to Asian and Hispanic families entering their neighborhood compared to Black families. To support this assertion, the author should provide evidence of this slight preference by interviewing White families in these White majority neighborhoods on their stance of different ethnic groups moving into their neighborhoods. Though this article is based more on racial and ethnic segregation, I think that income segregation would be an important topic to address in this article regarding housing segregation. As the article states, localities pass laws that either allow for more mixed-income housing or prohibit construction of mixed-income housing. I think it is important to consider that not all minorities require the assistance of mixed-income housing efforts and not all Whites can afford to purchase and own their own home. By observing income in addition to race and ethnicity, we remove the assumptions of groups toward individuals that do not fit the stereotype.
I agree that the author could include data supporting her assertion that whites are more "amendable" to living near Asian or Hispanic families. If the data supports this statement, then a follow-up question could be: why are Asians or Hispanics more preferable than blacks when it comes to being neighbors? Income segregation is another way of looking at how neighborhoods are divided in this country.
DeleteWhile it may be slightly beyond the scope of this article, the author could look at the intersection of racial and income segregation like you suggested. Does race or income take precedence over the other when it comes to prejudice and discrimination? Would middle-class white families rather live near poor whites or middle-class black families? In one of the films we watched on Monday, the wealthy black couple was deterred from living in an upper-class neighborhood because they were black. Their income was not the issue. Like you said, it's definitely important to recognize that there is income variety within a given race.
I completely agree that the author should include more data to support his claims. Although I agree with the author's arguments, I believe in order to further strengthen his argument he should present more data and evidence to readers. I think including interviewing white families in neighborhoods that are majority white would be very interesting to include. He could also interview white families in more diverse neighborhoods and contrast their attitudes towards minorities. This would greatly support his argument of whites being more "amendable" to living near Asian or Hispanic families.
Delete"White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn her article “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuel’s main argument is that many people believed America is more accepting regarding race after 50 years since the race riots; however, racial segregation is still prevalent in factors such as employment, housing, and educational opportunities. According to the article, black areas and white areas are ongoing in America and they are in both cities and suburbs. A previous study was conducted to prove that racial segregation is declining; however, there were a few disruptions that makes the study invalid. The researchers in that study looked at entire metropolitan areas, rather than smaller communities which showed that the suburbs Blacks moved into are majority black even though there were less Blacks living in inner cities. This is due to “White flight.” “White flight” is the practice of white people selling their homes and flee in order to avoid the increasing Blacks coming into their current neighborhoods. Many white communities also incorporate “exclusionary zoning laws” to keep minorities out, which makes it difficult to build mixed-income housing in particular areas. To remedy the racial segregation situation, “the Obama Administration announced an overhaul of how the federal government distributes housing money.”
If Semuel were to rewrite this article, she should include the other factors that would attribute to discrimination and segregation such as gender/sexual orientation. As a longtime resident of San Francisco and the Castro district, I am well aware of the discrimination the LGBT community face. Some people would say to me “Oh, you live in the Castro district? Are you also gay?” The author could possibly incorporate a study on this and see if the people in a different community would sell their homes and flee or incorporate zoning laws when the LGBT community moves in. This would support the idea of segregation and discrimination is not only in race, but also in other factors. I also would want the author to include and discuss a reverse situation to inform those particular white communities—would the LGBT community sell their homes and flee the Castro district if there were an influx of straight people moving in? By doing so, the racial segregation tension may lessen; however, it is not a guarantee.
I agree with Victor that a good addition to Semuels’s article would be information about if housing is segregated by gender and sexual orientation. It would be interesting to see if housing segregation occurs between members of the LGBT community and straight individuals as much as it does between people of different races. Semuels could also examine if different areas that are known to be highly populated with LGBT individuals have different local policies that cater toward LGBT individuals, like how high or low income areas have policies that support their demographics. As Victor mentions, it would also be interesting for Semuels to see if straight individuals are inclined to want to move when members of the LGBT community move into their neighborhoods, and if LGBT individuals living in LGBT communities want to sell their homes when straight people move in. If so, this could show that housing discrimination and segregation occurs between people of different sexual orientations, not just people of different races. Obtaining information about how much housing is segregated by sexual orientation could help the government plan to take steps to create policies that would give everyone equal access to buying houses, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
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ReplyDeleteWhite Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the author’s main argument is that housing segregation make more white people live in suburbs and more black live in city, and making the whole nation become two societies. This make the whole society become more separate and unequal, people would love to live with the community with their own color. In the past, white people moved from city to suburbs when they see black neighbors move in next door. But now the even move from suburbs to farther out area to have the all-white neighborhoods. Not only white people and black people would have the housing segregation, even Asian and Hispanic would willing to move into the same race community. I really want to know what exactly divergent community would hurt your family. In the reality, people become more and more less care about your neighbors. Some time you don’t even know what their name is. So what is the whole point for live in all-white neighborhoods, or the same race community? All the people are equal, no matter what race they are, or what type of community they live in.
If the author would rewrite her article. I think it would be better if she has more interviews about how different generation thinks to live in a same race community. First, she can interview some white first generation who try to avoid live with black people that move to suburbs. She can ask about how they feel when they first move in, and did they move to other places to avoid their new neighbors are other races. Also, after all these years pass what they think about to live in a all white neighborhoods. Second, she can interview some teenage to ask about how they think if they can choose where to live, would they choose to live in a same race community or a diverse-race community? People should be equal at this time, should not judge people by their skin colors. People have no right to choose what color they can be, everyone should be equal and let the society to drop the prejudice. Hoping to have a single society that all the people can be free to live and work, and color of their skin will no longer be a problem.
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DeleteIn the article “White Flight Never Ended”, by Alana Semuels, the author asserts that although many believe we are currently living in a post-racial era segregation is actually becoming more pronounced. Many years ago, race riots caused America to investigate the “underlying causes of racial tension”. This lead to the famous conclusion that our nation had two different societies--one black and the other white. Although we would like to believe that much has changed since then, segregation remains prominent in our society today. African Americans no longer live in the inner cities, however, the suburbs they have moved into mainly consist of African American residents. These patterns of segregation are not only between” black and white towns” but Asian and Hispanic as well.
ReplyDeleteIf the author were to rewrite this article, I think it would be interesting if she included more data. It would be interesting to see when such residential segregation had taken place or where it seems to be more prominent. I believe if she included comparisons across neighborhoods or different ethnic groups it would further support her argument. Also, the author did not go into much detail on what the underlying cause of residential segregation. If she included interviews on residents and what they thought was causing the segregation, it would be interesting to see.
White Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuels discusses the residential separation between races. She begins the article with the Kerner Report, and the information of what was found to be a huge cause of the racial tension in the country. White society branched off and excluded those of color from their world - employment, housing, and educational opportunities were kept further away from blacks. Samuels then states that while people like to believe changes have been made since then, there is evidence that contradicts those beliefs. In fact, she found from a study that segregation is more distinctive in present America. Ultimately, people are still attracted to areas that are known to have people with similar backgrounds. One way that the segregation continues to be perpetuated are with laws made against affordable housing and apartment building. “White” and “colored” areas are now found to exist in suburban and city life. In the past, suburbs were reserved - for the most part - for white families while people of color filled inner-cities. However, minority groups as of recently have been increasingly ousted in favor of people - often white Americans - who are able to pay more for the convenience of the area within the city that was once looked down upon. The main difference found in residential segregation in the present is that it is not just between whites and blacks anymore; segregation is now happening with Asian and Hispanic residents as well. Semuel ends the article touching upon new rules that require metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation and find ways to address it in order to receive government support.
If the author was to rewrite the article, I would be interested in reading more about the new rules. I would like to gain a better understanding of people’s ideas in addressing any segregations that is found within their respective residential areas. It’s difficult to think of a universals solution because it is completely dependent on the community and the personalities of individuals. It was disheartening to read about the lack of actual changes made in society, especially in regards to this topic. It’s something that I never even noticed myself, and I witnessed a lot of what was discussed within the article about residential segregation. Personally, I saw a lot of the “ousting” of minority residents in favor of white Americans in areas that were once unpopular locations. For example, Oakland was a nearby town that was seen as “ghetto” because it was mostly people of color, but as of recently I noticed that a lot of people have began moving in that area, which resulted in the minority residents being kicked out because they were not able to match what the incoming residents offered as rent.
I also agree that it would be interesting to explore ideas for how to address segregation. I’ve read that Singapore as a forced housing integration system where public housing estates have an enforced ethnic quota. These public housing estates account for much of housing in Singaporeans and sales of an apartment must not result in exceeding the group limit. Singapore attributes much of its economic success to this diversity, however, I doubt that this widespread program would be a good fit for America given its relationship with personal freedoms. But even though America may not adapt this exact program, we can still learn from these cases.
DeleteIn “White Flight Never Ended” Alana Semuels uses statistics to show how despite laws to prevent discrimination in things such as housing, it still exists. Whites don’t move into areas mostly populated by minorities, and tenants make it difficult for minorities to live in white areas. Statistics show that as white population in an area decreases, minority population increases. It’s as though whites are moving out due to the increase in the number of minorities, which is completely legal. In this way, areas still tend to be segregated by race regardless of government policies.
ReplyDeleteTo make the article more informative, Semuels could have interviewed whites and minorities that have moved. For example, a question could be how the racial demographics of areas affected their decisions. Did a white person move because they didn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, perhaps? Did minorities specifically want to move into more upscale white neighborhoods but could that they couldn’t? There is a strong correlation as shown by the statistics, but actual perspectives would’ve been very helpful in understanding the situation.
“White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn her article “White Flight Never Ended,” Alana Semuels’s main argument is that racial segregation is still increasing in the United States despite the common belief that it has ended. Many think that racial segregation has come to an end because of the election of President Obama, the use of interracial couples in advertisements, or statistics which show minorities living in the suburbs. However, segregation within suburban areas is increasing, making some suburbs mostly black and others predominantly white. Whites have also moved to unincorporated areas or exclusive gated-communities, thereby separating themselves from other minorities. Semuels also points out that he division of different races amongst different areas has led to policy changes in each area that reflect their demographics. In “black” areas such as Ferguson, Missouri, the government allowed for the building of low-income and mixed income housing, whereas some “white” neighborhoods pass legislation to prevent construction of apartments. Since these local acts have contributed to the segregation of different races in different areas, the federal government is trying to enact changes that will promote areas to take steps to achieve housing equality, such as changing their methods of distributing housing money to require areas statistically determine segregation and act to change it.
If Alana Semuels rewrote her article, I think it would be interesting for her to add more information about some of the differences in local policies that black and white areas have enacted due to their different demographics. This article reminded me of how the community I grew up in tried to fight the construction of apartments and I remember that people were upset when the bill was passed. I am sure that there are plenty of other local policies that “white” communities enact to stay affluent and “black” communities pass to help lower-income families. It would be interesting to compare how local policies that have to do with education, parks, and commercial areas differ between racially segregated communities. Perhaps “white” affluent communities provide more funding for schools to purchase educational resources, which would attract affluent families who value education to that community. Maybe “black” communities will have more educational improvement programs for students, which would attract other black families who see this as a good opportunity for their children. It would be interesting to see how all sorts of local policies can perpetuate racial segregation in communities, and this information would be useful for lawmakers to create plans that can help end the segregation.
I do agree with you that one of the main points of her article is that racial segregation is still here today and in some areas it is actually increasing, but I disagree that it is a common belief that it has ended. Even though there is no more extreme racism today, it is a common fallacy to assume that since there is no more slavery or that the country has a black president that racism has just ended. Racism has always been there, but now it is just more subtle. I do agree that it would be interesting to know more about the difference in policies, if there are any, between the different areas to show if there are differences in accessibility or amenities that people in white neighborhoods have over people in colored neighborhoods. I also agree with you that local policies have can have a great impact on how the people in these neighborhoods live because it can provide them with the things they need like proper schooling or housing, but it can also deprave them of that.
Delete"The Role of Highways in American Poverty" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteSemuels' main argument in her article "The Role of Highways in American Poverty" is that highways are being viewed differently than they were 50 years ago. Semuels points out how the increase from "60 percent of americans" owning cars in 1940 to "80 percent" in 1960 cause the cities to build major highways in order to accommodate the increase in cars and to allow easier access to the city. Semuels says the city planners thought they needed "unclogged arteries for a working circulatory system" to justify the highway construction. An example Semuels gives is of the 15th Ward in Syracuse, which was a "scene of abject poverty" so the city built I-81 through it. This "decimated a close-knit African American community" and actually "hurt the city’s finances, too" since more people were moving to the suburbs. Semuels says today there is a "different kind of discrimination than half a century ago" in the housing market, due to new neighborhoods being built where only wealthy people can afford to live there while the poor are stuck in the inner cities. This is why today Syracuse "has the highest concentration of poverty in America" Semuels says. Highways may have once had a positive impact on city health 50 years ago, but now many cities are opting to remove some major highways and build integrated neighborhoods to fix their problems, as Semuels states.
I think if Semuels was to rewrite her article it would be beneficial to include more data concerning her claim of how "young professionals and Baby Boomers are moving back to inner cities" and what effect this has. If these wealthy people are moving back into the inner cities, where are they living? Does this alone fix the problem of segregation that the highways created? This would help the reader understand the other ways to "make a city healthy again" that Semuels refers to. Another thing she could include are examples of the other "barriers" that prevent "residents from reaching their full opportunity" that she alludes to. Semuels has given highways as an example of what makes cities sick, but it would be nice to have another "barrier" to compare the highways to as a way to measure the impact each one has.
"White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteThe author argues how although it appears that segregation is decreasing, in reality it is still very prevalent, especially in the makeup of cities and suburbs. In the past, segregration was more visibly apparent, as cities were primarily all black and suburbs were primarily all white. Today, both white and black individuals live in both the suburbs and cities, but they are segregated into black or white suburbs and neighborhoods in the cities. Many white families choose to move to "all white neighborhoods, affluent gated communities, or unincorporated housing developments”, which causes the geographical separation of the races. This inhibits many people of color from moving into certain areas because they simply don't have the money to afford housing. In response to these changes in racial demographics, city officials often implement the development of low-cost housing for minority groups. The author analyzes how these unfair policies continue to exist because white individuals hold the majority of the power in city policy, especially in regards to zoning. Segregation is also subtly perpetuated by real estate agents who encourage people to stay within areas that are comprised of individuals of their same race.
If the author were to rewrite this article, she could include research on the prevalence of other minority groups in cities and suburbs. She introduces this idea by explaining how "whites seem more amenable to Asian or Hispanic families moving into their neighborhoods (than blacks)" but simply presents this small piece of research and never develops it further. We learned in both of the class documentaries that certain segregation policies were originally created to keep blacks out of white communities. However, the segregration policies often directly and indirectly affect individuals of other racial minorities and forces them into low-income areas. It also would be interesting if the author surveyed individuals across racial groups and asked them their opinions about living with groups of other racial backgrounds. In addition to housing policy, it is likely that individuals choose to live with people of their own race because they are afraid to live with those different from them.
White Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn this article, Alana Semuels argues that segregation is becoming more pronounced in many American neighborhoods. Throughout her article, she discusses the growing problem of gentrification, or “a trend in urban neighborhoods, which results in increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses” (New Webster). In the past, there was extreme racial divisions within cities, due to many practices outlined by the Kerner Commission including white flight, exclusionary zoning, and prejudice. After the Fair Housing Act was passed, many white families moved from cities to suburbs. When African American neighbors moved in next to them in the suburbs, the white community moved to farther-out “fringe” areas, such as affluent gated communities (Semuels 3). As a result, suburbs became increasingly segregated in addition to metropolitan areas. While in some situations cities are becoming more and more diverse, the opposite is occurring in many places concurrently.
Semuel’s most important argument is her discussion of how whites attempt to segregate communities through legislation. Whites often create extreme qualifications in attempt to control who can live in their communities. By doing so, they create homogenous living communities and perpetuate the idea that we must surround ourselves with members of our race.
Although Semuel attempted to address all races within her argument, I think her argument would have been strengthened if she had included more information on segregation in Asian and Hispanic communities. Much of her argument discusses segregation between blacks and whites in communities. However, in many states, especially California, racial/housing segregation is more prominent among other minority groups and whites. Furthermore, I believe her argument would be stronger if she had cited more qualitative data.
White Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteThe author’s most important argument is that the systematic institutionalized policies that segregated Blacks and Whites in the 1960’s are still happening today. In the past, African Americans were segregated to the cities and Whites to the suburbs. Statistical evidence show that today these areas are less segregated meaning that there are more blacks in the suburbs and more whites in the city, but this only tells us half of the story. While generally suburbs are populated with more African Americans, the suburbs themselves are further segregated into White suburbs and Black suburbs; the same goes for cities too. This new form of segregation is perpetuated by newer sneakier policies. Real estate agents still guide families into neighborhoods with similar races. All white communities ban the development of low income housing, and when whites move into cities the prices of housing shoots up and displaces minority families. This argument is important because it goes into direct opposition with the idea that because we have a Black and White president that we live in a post racial society, but we clearly do not. People are still being segregated, but averaged data shows that segregation is decreasing. This article shows that the fight is not over, we still need to work for a better equal society.
If the author were to rewrite this article I feel that she should include a piece about gentrification and the effects that young tech employees are having on the population of minorities in the inner city. Places like San Francisco and New York are so expensive that in order to live there comfortably you need to either be a hedge fund manager or a prince. I would like to see more information on how newly gentrified cities are reacting to the influx of young techies and how we can help the people being forced out of there homes. This article did a good job tackling how segregation still exists in the suburbs but somewhat neglected how is happening in the cities. Also many people think that gentrification is a good thing because it raises property values and increases government attention to the area, but the author should talk about the detrimental effect that also comes with gentrifying a previously poor neighborhood.
"White Flight Never Ended" by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn this article, Semuels’ main argument is against the belief that America has reached an end of segregation as suggested by suburbs and cities each as a whole becoming more diverse. Semuels argues that segregation is actually becoming more pronounced when one examines the areas within suburbs and cities. Semuels supports this argument by noting that the practices that create segregation such as exclusionary zoning, prejudice, and white flight are no longer exclusive features of suburbs, but are also apparent in cities. Furthermore, contrary to previous data that suggested that segregation between black and white populations was declining, based on the finding that there were more minorities in suburbs which have historically been associated with white populations, these suburbs were sometimes primarily white or black. It is also true that there are some cities that are primarily of one racial group. This argument is important because it provides context and supports why there is a need for new policies that require metropolitan areas to use data to measure segregation and address it.
If the author were to rewrite the article, I would like to see how other cities have approached and addressed housing segregation or any suggestions that the author would have. Cities have multiple interests that may conflict and finding policies that are effective and fair for everyone can. In cities that don’t have a lot of new construction, requirements that a percentage of construction must be of low-cost housing may be of limited effectiveness. Cities would also have to respond to the “young whites and baby boomers” that are moving in, raising rent prices, and possibly displacing the previous residents. It would be interesting to see how many cities saw this gentrification as favorable for their economy and permitted it, or if they responded to it as a need to protect renters from rent increase and displacement.
White Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteIn this article the author talks about how segregation is actually increasing within the inner cities and within the suburbs. Although past research has claimed that these communities were becoming more diverse through the work of the Fair Housing Act, it turns out that those numbers were misleading. The research looked at too broad of a scope and misattributed the increase in overall diversity with a more even spacing of those diverse families. True there were more minorities moving out into the suburbs but they were forming their own pockets of minority due to exclusionary zoning laws and even more white flight. The same thing was happening in the inner cities. With more minorities moving out and the prices being so low, many younger white people were moving back into the cities, making pockets of white neighborhoods within the cities and driving the prices back up. The author makes an important distinction that just because it may look like it on the outside, nothing has really changed when it comes to segregation.
If the author to rewrite the article I would want to see some interviews with real estate agents and policymakers that talked about not only about current policy, but perhaps policy that changes the way real estate agents do their job. It clear to see that segregation is still happening because having white people in the neighborhood is good for prices and vice versa when minorities move into the neighborhood. What if we could cut that bias off at the grassroots level and make it not common practice for the agents to promote that kind of behavior. If the stigma that having white people in a neighborhood affords that neighborhood more value is abandoned then reintegrating neighborhoods would be a much easier process.
I think Jacob brings up an interesting point that real estate agents play a large role in developing the racial structure in neighborhoods, but I think this issue is too far entrenched for real change to happen on this level. I think it could potentially be useful, but the initial structuring of the FHA and the inherent racial biases that devalued "black property" has made it so that black people do not have an asset base, which has led to a culture of debt. It has gotten to the point where we have made our stereotypes come true, and black people are less educated, less wealthy, and less healthy than white people, and those things need to be corrected before any real change in our biases can occur. There are some black people who will be successful enough to make it through the biased system, but they will be inherently crippled through devaluation of their assets, and permanent change won't happen until black people as a whole are given a fair chance to succeed.
DeleteWhite Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteThe author's most important argument is despite the fair housing act and reports that say segregation is on the decline, white/black/minority neighborhoods still exist and are becoming increasingly homogenous. He argues that while blacks aren't solely living in inner cities anymore, the suburbs they live in are majority black. White flight is still happening, but instead of moving from cities to suburbs, whites are fleeing to farther fringe areas. Not only is this a trend between black and white communities, but also asian and hispanic. Cities will also use city zoning to exclude low income housing which promotes diversity.
If the author were to rewrite the article I would try and sample data from residents. For example survey residents of towns and ask what they believed the trend of diversity was in their specific town. Also ask if they believed in city zoning excluding certain types of housing that may promote diversity. I would also add relevant data for different parts of the country, as the trends found in the article may be true for parts of the east coast but they may differ for cities and areas in places like California.
Majd,
DeleteI completely agree with the points you summarized from the article. I like how you noticed that residential segregation was a trend among other communities, such as asian and hispanic, and I wish the author had spent more time applying his argument to these groups. Like yourself, I believe a major weak point in the author's argument was the lack of quantitative data. I too believe sampling data from residents around the country could paint a larger portrait of the issue of residential segregation in America. By doing so, you could compare trends regarding residential segregation among different regions of the country.
White Flight Never ended
ReplyDeleteIn this article, Alana Samuels is raising awareness to her audience that even today in this day and age, there is racial segregation in neighborhoods and communities. Samuel's argument is that even though we now have a Black president, there is segregation amongst races, and there has not been much change since 50 years ago. Neighborhoods are still dominated either by whites, blacks, asians, and hispanics. Suburbs that were only 26% hispanic are now 70% hispanic which shows that there is still not equality amongst all and people tend to live in areas where they can connect to those of the same race. Real Estate also plays a role in helping people find homes in suburbs; they may guide people to areas of living that are of that family's or person's race instead of being neutral towards the color of their skin. Back in the 60's blacks were segregated to the cities and whites were segregated to the suburbs however now there are "black" and "white" suburbs, and white people tend to migrate away from areas where there is a higher population of black people. The country is still two races, one black and one white.
If the author were to rewrite this, I think it would be interesting to hear the thoughts of neighbors living in these white suburbs or black suburbs. It would be interesting to see if these residents are aware of this segregation that is occurring in their neighborhoods, and if they are what are they going to do to reduce this segregation. I believe that knowledge is the most powerful tool one can have, if we are aware and conscious of our actions we have knowledge and we are not ignorant. Ignorance is the reason why we have inequality, segregation, and discrimination in our society today. If we were all knowledgable to know that we are all one regardless of the color of our skin and we are all working hard to our best capabilities then issue of race would be diminished.
I agree with Taraneh that the author should include interviews or voices from the people that lives in the black and white suburbs neighbourhoods. I would like to know the reason why they moved in or moved out, whether it is because they want to be with their own race and why they would want to.So I think if the author included quotes of the residents, it would provide a fuller picture of the situation and have inside voices heard and not just the government. I would like to find out if people are aware of the segregation and if they are aware of racial inequality. If they are, do they think it is normal and would they do anything to stop it? This is an interesting topic to explore on.
DeleteI also agree that it would be interesting to hear from people living in Black or White suburbs about how segregated they think their community is. I myself thought that I lived in a pretty diverse city, Oakland, but after the lecture on social segregation I realized that even though there were Black and Mexican people in my neighborhood, most of my actual neighbors where Asian. I am also Asian. So I would like to know if other people are ignorant of their segregation as well. I agree with this statement because too often people like telling us that racism doesn’t exist anymore even when they are living in it. Opening up peoples eyes to how their living preferences helps to sustain segregation is a good place for us to start moving forward as a country.
DeleteI agree with Taraneh's analysis of Semuels' argument that even now there is racial residential segregation. Although it has been 50 years since the race riots, any change regarding racial discrimination or segregation is minimal. I also agree with Taraneh that including the voices of the people living in Black or White suburbs would be help gain insight in whether they are aware of the racial residential segregation or not. However, I would say only the ones who care about the racial residential segregation tension would do anything about it. Typically in this case, it is better to have interviews rather than observations on those people since you would be able hear what is really going on instead of any predictions. It is definitely true that ignorance is inflicted upon many people, which leads to unfortunate events such as segregation. Many people are fixated on the notion that racial discrimination or segregation is in the past due to interracial couples or a Black president; however, it still very well exists and they cannot seem to perceive it well enough. By putting those people in the racially discriminated/segregated people's position, they would be knowledgeable that we are all the same beings.
DeleteThe Role of Highways in American Poverty by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteIn the 1950s, communities in the cities became overpopulated and congested so city planner turned to building highways as a means to alleviate this issue. Alana Semuels, the author, points out that this practice was specifically targeted at African Americans, who the city planners saw as “unhealthy organs that needed to be removed.” African Americans and other minorities had become concentrated in the slums of the city because of the policies that the federal government adopted in regards to home loans. They used the practice of redlining to deny them the loans needed to purchase a home in an area with better schools and job opportunities, further pushing them into poverty. Cities began tearing down homes in inner cities to make way for the construction of highways, like they did in the 15th Ward in Syracuse, NY. As a result, they displaced many African Americans, leaving them worse off. Unfortunately, the nice suburbs that began to boom from the implementation of highways were generally off limits to the African Americans. In the small areas where African Americans could find housing, they were surrounded by other poor people who also were struggling to make ends meet. Semuels argues that those who live in concentrated poverty generally are less prone to success, as low-income neighborhoods do not have the same enriching environment that suburbs have, with good schools, parks, and places to ride bikes. While poverty is not the direct result of the construction of highways, they certainly do create a separation of those who are wealthy and those who are poor, which contributes to the poor become poorer and the wealthy becoming wealthier.
If the Semuels were to re-write the article, she should discuss more than one community where the construction of highways influenced poverty. She names other cities that tore down their highways to remove traffic clogging and improve their economic opportunities, but she does not explain how these highways negatively impacted the community in regards to race and poverty. Additionally, Semuels should analyze more than one race where redlining and displacement from highways prolonged their poverty. She definitely proves that African Americans in the 15th Ward suffered at the expense of the highway boom, but this single case may not be compelling enough for some audiences. By comparing the situations of different communities in different cities and the various races within them, she could draw stronger connections to prove that highways have played a role in poverty.
I agree with Elizabeth that Semuels should discuss other communities where highways were built, besides the 15th ward and Syracuse. This one example in detail makes it easy to understand, but such a small sample size may misrepresent the true data. I also agree focusing on other races would be helpful as well, not just the negative impact it had on African Americans. Looking at only the effect on one race does not do justice to the true extent of segregation the highways created for many races. Semuels would not have to go into great detail on the effect on every race or every community, but at least mentioning some specifics would give the article more depth and credibility.
Delete“White Flight Never Ended” by Alana Semuels
ReplyDeleteThe free world exists today because of our forefathers, those men who fought against the British monarchy, and established a government represented by the people, for the people. It is good that the power of the government is limited, so that the American population might exist as a self-regulated entity. This country is supposed to be one in which the population determines the regulations, and the government enforces them, but the rhetoric has shifted away from that, especially when it comes to economics. The free market abandons regulations, which has equal chance for abuse as a monarchy does. In the article “White Flight and Segregation,” Semuels argues that poor government oversight in the housing market allowed for abuses that ended up hurting minorities. Real estate agents played off of racial fears to get white people to sell their homes for cheap, and sold the homes to black couples for much more. These biases helped to create segregated neighborhoods, and even with some government policies in place today, there are still significant abuses and biases that occur. While whole metropolitan areas are racially diverse, neighborhoods are not. This creates inequality because the value of people’s assets is being assigned based on the color of their skins, which is unfair. Many people today believe that racism is not the problem it was 50 years ago, but there is still a lot of progress to be made.
If Semuels were to rewrite the article, I would be interested in having some hard data presented in some graphic form. I think it would be interesting to compare the relative value of homes as neighborhoods shift to become predominantly minority areas. What is the average income of black families when they first enter white neighborhoods compared to the income of black families who move in later on? Is it not only difficult to get out of poverty as a minority, but is it also harder to hold onto wealth? A comparison between the income and assets of black and white families would potentially be useful in understanding how black individuals maintain wealth.
White Flight Never Ended
ReplyDeleteAlana Samuels argues that segregation runs rampant today and presents statistics to make her case. When redlining rose to prominence in the 60's, segregation was inevitable as housing authority employees were taught to segregate neighborhoods. When the systematic racism was recognized, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed, but there is a clear distinction between white and minority neighborhoods today. Many people believe that segregation is a problem of the past based on popularized interracial portrayals on commercials or the color of our president. Prejudice in housing still exists both in the cities and the suburbs. Black suburbs and white suburbs exist separately and unequally. It has been noted that white neighborhoods are more welcome to other minorities, but the bleak gap between white and black people is still very present.
When the author mentioned the Cheerios commercial, I remembered how so many people were outraged by the commercial. The author should try to interview people who believe that segregation is over. It is important for people to recognize that racism is not over; so many people were "surprised" by how articulate President Obama is. I also think that the author should specify more about the white flight itself. While I do appreciate the information and data the author presents, I thought I would hear more about white neighborhoods after minorities move in, based on the title. I would also like more information about how white people react to other minorities.
I agree with Enrica because it is true most of the time we just get the same points over and over again that there has been segregation based on observations and the reality of neighborhoods but sometimes we are so involved in our own lives that we do not even recognize there is racial segregation. I truly was not as aware until this class because I had been to neighborhoods where there was a great deal of segregation but I somehow looked passed it and it did not occur to me the severity of the segregation. So if there were actual interviews from people living in racially segregated neighborhoods and enlightened them with the reality of where they live, we would be able to raise more awareness of what is happening today versus just observing and seeing which racial groups live together.
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