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The Color of Law
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America | Richard Rothstein
121 posts | 82 read | 9 reading | 225 to read
Widely heralded as a "masterful" (Washington Post) and "essential" (Slate) history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law offers "the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation" (William Julius Wilson). Exploding the myth of de facto segregation arising from private prejudice or the unintended consequences of economic forces, Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods. A groundbreaking, "virtually indispensable" study that has already transformed our understanding of twentieth-century urban history (Chicago Daily Observer), The Color of Law forces us to face the obligation to remedy our unconstitutional past.
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DyAnne
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another book I wish I could make all Americans read

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MsLeah8417
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Creme_de_la_them
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Pickpick

Book #9 of the year: “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein

Definitely a book I‘d recommend to anyone living in the US.

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Creme_de_la_them

“Racial polarization stemming from our separateness has corrupted our politics, permitting leaders who ignore the interest of white working-class voters to mobilize then with racial appeals. Whites may support political candidates who pander to their sense of racial entitlement while advocating policies that perpetuate the inferior economic opportunities that some whites may face.”

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ChaoticMissAdventures
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#manicmonday #LetterC @CBee
📚 The Color of Law
✍️ Becky Chambers
🍿 Clueless
🎤 Cyndi Lauper
🎶 Cloud (Elias)

Librariana Clueless AND Cindy Lauper?? Classics!! ❤️ 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love Cyndi! I grew up listening to her! 2y
CBee Thanks for playing 😊 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks me too! She is such an icon. 2y
22 likes4 comments
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Cosmos_Moon_River
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Pickpick

A great nonfiction review of patterns of enforced segregation & discrimination in US housing. Talked about how HUD programs & GI bill loans forced people into certain housing developments or suburbs by race, or flat out denied them loans or housing. Saw this week on CNN how a married black couple (university professors) had a white friend go on an appraisal of their house to have it appraised $300k higher, as not from a black family—infuriating.

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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A special that I think might interest #SheSaid, I‘m going to try to track it down myself to watch. It also looked like a great continuation of relearning some of our history that I read in books like The Color of Law; showing how much systematic inequality has been pre-built into our country, not accidentally, but often with very malicious intent, & how much we‘re still dealing with that legacy today from everything from healthcare access ⤵️

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ during a pandemic, to clean water in Flint, MI, to food deserts, and to our latest read on organizing that highlighted a “community beautification” project being used to force residents out of their homes. 2y
See All 11 Comments
GingerAntics I‘ve seen commercials for this. It links heartbreakingly intriguing. I don‘t understand how anyone can say racism isn‘t systemic or doesn‘t exist anymore with the facts in front of them, but then those folks aren‘t great with truth and facts. I swear, people choose not to know. It‘s basically a choice at this point. 2y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics I was just discussing this somewhere else. I think it‘s that we all learn this white-washed version of history and many never learn any different, and then when confronted with another version…it basically throws everything they knew, thought they knew, thought this country stood for on its head so they reject all of that as “crazy”. But in school you are taught these fights happened, in the past, were won, and we are great now.⤵️ 2y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ whether it was Washington‘s wooden teeth (really slave teeth) or the interstate highway system that united the country and gave people jobs after the Great Depression (but was used to basically imminent domain many minority communities into nonexistent), to the Tulsa massacre that we just weren‘t taught at all. Or civil rights, voting rights, affirmative action which we were taught were fought for & won & done… but now are overturned and gone. 2y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ people were taught these things were decided so they didn‘t need to fight for them anymore, or be vigilant about protecting them… problem is, the other side was vigilant about getting rid of them, and had very long term plans to do so. ↪️ (edited) 2y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ they created a whole constitutional doctrine to look at these issues, and find the decision flaws, taught a school of thought to judges, went for decades stymieing regular judicial nominations when judges outside that school of thought were nominated (we just won‘t hold nominations), and then pushing through judges that were on board with that school of thought. And sadly, their long-term plan…worked. 🫤😬 2y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa oh yeah. It‘s certainly working on roe v wade. Sadly, I fear it‘s all down hill from here. I am contiguously reminded these days of how lucky I was to go to a school that taught REAL indigenous history. It wasn‘t perfect, but at least they tried. I really hope that school is still doing it and has hopefully added more diversity to their curriculum as well. 2y
ncsufoxes I was at a webinar a few months ago about health policy or something (I don‘t remember it was from one of the larger hospitals near me). Anyhow they were talking about how zip codes are used to study trends in public health. All that data is used to monitor disparities (now hospitals, hopefully, are trying to use it for better purposes). They are able to track what diseases are hitting what areas & where they need to focus interventions or more 2y
ncsufoxes info being disseminated to those areas. I thought that it was fascinating & never realized that was how they track public health trends. Although there are so many issues with the fact that many hospitals/gov‘t officials & such have had this data for years & didn‘t utilize it to help people but to hinder people further. 2y
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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#conflictedworlds
Who are you #neighbor with and do you know why? Do you know one of the most active, prominent, and rich Black neighborhoods in the country was torn down to build Central Park? This book is eye opening, important, and infuriating.

@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I didn‘t know that 😞 3y
Eggs Wow 😮 this sounds like a good read 📚👌🏼 3y
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mrsheatherkline

Going to start reading this book for our work book club!

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audraelizabeth
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Pickpick

Very informative and wonderfully fact based. For some, the amount of statistics might be too much but I enjoyed it.
#readharder2021 nonfiction about anti-racism
@TheAromaofBooks #bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
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RaffaelliJ
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Pickpick

This was an eye opening read that go into excruciating detail of how law, specifically concerning the rights and ownership of property, have lead to systematic segregation in America.

Taking a critical look at government policy, even crowning achievements such as Roosevelt‘s New Deal, this book asks the reader to question what we have been told, and to look at the realities presented as is.

Uncomfortable and alarming, a great in depth read.

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Floresj
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Pickpick

This was an impeccably well researched book that explains the segregation of our cities and how deeply entrenched racist policies are. It‘s been said that once you see it, you can‘t unsee it- which is true as I drove through my city. I will be changing how I teach zoning in engineering after reading this. Excellent book.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
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March #roundup
5⭐
The Color of Law
4⭐
The Vanishing Half
All's Well
The Five
3⭐
The Push
Honey Girl
The Removed
A Burning
Salt Roads
No God But The Mother
2⭐
Me Talk Pretty on Day
Fortress of Solitude
Mudboind

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Jas16
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Pickpick

This book has been on my TBR since it came out but moved to the top of the list when I signed up for a zoom lecture with the author taking place on Monday. Such an eye opening book about the US government‘s racist housing policies. Infuriating but a necessary read. Audio was not the best format for me to be able to ingest everything but it is a book I will be glad to revisit in print.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Pickpick

This should be required reading for all Americans.

While I understood housing discrimination, and the reverberating effects (food deserts, less job opportunities, transportation costs) this book gets straight to the heart of the Why and How of the history and consequences.
Well written and easily digestible (even if anger inducing for the content).
5⭐

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megan.is.reading
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Just started Litsy and this was the most recent book I read. I actually listened to it during our snowpocalypse here in Nashville. By the end of it I actually wanted to punch someone. We have to read these types of books so we can learn from our mistakes. We can change history and the future.

JamieArc Welcome to Litsy! I read this last year and it was one of my favorite reads for the important material. 4y
BookmarkTavern Welcome to Litsy! 🎉📚🎉 4y
megan.is.reading @JamieArc thank you! I‘ve heard good things about it 4y
megan.is.reading @ozma.of.oz thank you!! 4y
Billypar Welcome! Agreed - it was infuriating to read this history. Like @JamieArc this was one of my favorite reads last year. 4y
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Reviewsbylola
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I always pick a relevant book to read on MLK Day. This is my 2021 pick. It‘s impossible not to listen to this book and think of my own community.

ValerieAndBooks This is such a good and important book! 4y
JamieArc This isn‘t the fastest read, but well worth the time it takes. Really deepened my understanding of systemic racism in the US. 4y
Reviewsbylola I‘ve had so many lightbulb moments and I‘m only on the first chapter! @ValerieAndBooks @JamieArc 4y
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Liz_M This is on my list to read soon - probably next month if I can get it from the library! 4y
Librarybelle This one is so good! It‘s dense, but I felt the info was very approachable. And, it really makes you think. 4y
Megabooks Loved this one! I learned so much. 4y
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AnneCecilie
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Day 7 of #12Booksof2020

This book shows that the segregated housing in the USA is not as accidental as one likes to think. This went all the way to the President and the federal administration.

Andrew65 Interesting reading. 4y
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sarahlandis
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Hiiiighly recommend this book. A detailed book about the history of laws about housing and development that hurt Black people and still affect them today

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Billypar
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I assumed this was going to mainly describe how the practice of red-lining led to housing discrimination, but this eye-opening history shows how that was only the tip of the iceberg. This book is framed as a response to multiple Supreme Court rulings against desegregating school systems which argue that governments cannot undo residential segregation it didn't cause. Rothstein cites a ton of historical examples to show how wrong this argument was.

Billypar Thanks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa for recommending this! 4y
Reviewsbylola I just got this one in the recent Audible sale! 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m so glad you liked it, it is so full of the history we just don‘t usually get the details of...and it‘s written in such an easy to read and relatable way. 4y
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Billypar @Reviewsbylola Hope you enjoy it! It's one that I hope finds as wide a readership as possible. 4y
Billypar @Riveted_Reader_Melissa So true - I think you recommended it in response to my review on The New Jim Crow, and I had very similar reactions to both: the writing was so clear and direct on an important subject that my attention never wandered. 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Billypar I think you are right. Both are excellent! 4y
38 likes6 comments
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Sace
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As if #StoryGraph wasn't awesome enough, now I can support it AND local bookstores when I purchase a book NOT THROUGH AMAZON. Maybe this option was always there but I only just noticed the "buy book" option.

Purchase inspired by @Megabooks ?

Megabooks I hope you enjoy it!! 4y
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

This is an important book about the laws (not just redlining) that caused the segregation of urban and suburban communities in the 20th century, concentrated Black people in ghettos and low income housing, and prevented their access to the intergenerational wealth that whites were afforded. The housing authority and the VA purposely created laws that took away harmoniously integrated communities and amplified existing segregation. 4.5⭐️🎧 ⬇️

Megabooks ⬆️ I realize this has been about 10+ times the political posts I‘ve made on litsy, and I have fun fiction and memoirs in the works, but this summer/fall has been important to me in correcting the education I received on these topics throughout my life. (edited) 4y
Sace I wonder if this is why we now deal with the idea that it's only urban areas deciding elections (and the grievance that goes with it.) I realize I'm over simplifying. Am I even making sense? I may try to read this book in conjunction with The Warmth of Other Suns. 4y
Megabooks @Sace let me think on this. I don‘t have a well-formed opinion on what you‘re asking, and I don‘t want to shoot from the hip. I definitely have thought about it on and off since the 2000 election without coming to a clear conclusion in my mind. I definitely thought about it (as much as one has time to in vet school, which isn‘t much) after the 2008 election. Warmth is definitely on my TBR, especially after Caste. 4y
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Sace Yeah, I was just sort of throwing the question out there and really it was more me pondering out loud because the issue comes up a lot each election. I think it's a valid concern (rural and urban have different needs) but at the same time I'm not convinced the current system works for either group. 4y
Megabooks @Sace I found a great answer to your question in this book. I‘m headed to bed, but I‘ll post it tomorrow. 4y
Sace @Megabooks just put it on hold. While I'm glad that Biden was elected I am still really sad that ultimately trumpism still exists. 4y
Megabooks @Sace so true! It‘s sad that things have become so partisan. One thing I posted on my Instagram stories is a quote from 10 Lessons that said the number one predictor, across multiple studies, as to one following the cdc Covid guidelines is party. Republicans don‘t follow them; Democrats do. I can tell you this has been true in my state and across the River in Indiana. 4y
ValerieAndBooks This is a great and thought-provoking book. 4y
Megabooks @ValerieAndBooks totally agree! 4y
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jillannjohn
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Starting another National CASA Book Club book today on my day off.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa This is a Great Book! 4y
Megabooks I‘m reading it this month! 4y
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megnews
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I keep seeing reviews of this book and thought someone might be interested in this free online talk with the author.
https://bit.ly/2HxajLf

Butterfinger I'm interested. Thanks for sharing. 4y
32 likes1 comment
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amma-keep-reading
Pickpick

Another thoughtful and thoroughly researched book on race in America with a unique focus on how many policies (past and present) support segregation efforts.

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violabrain
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Pickpick

A must-read that describes in convincing detail how the US government purposely segregated America. Communities were actually much more integrated in the late 1800s and early 20th century before the government got involved and forced segregation that is still in place to this day.

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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

A must read for everyone, not just Americans.

This book shows how African Americans were discriminated against at federal, state and local level to prevent them from buying houses in any neighborhood that wasn‘t already seen as African American. How integrated neighborhoods was segregated. And how this, explains some of the reasons for US‘s troubles today.

My #BookSpin book in October @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
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Bookish_Gal
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Mehso-so

Okay. The information was good in the course of knowing what was missed in history. If you‘re into that property history of why and how African Americans were discriminated against. For just buying a house! Absolute crazy. It was the way that the information was projected that tuned it down for me. It read too much like a textbook. If you‘re into history though, this is your book.

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Bookish_Gal
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When police officers stood by without preventing the intimidation these families endured, were the African-American families constitutional rights violated, or were they victims of rogue police officers for whom the state was not responsible? Certainly, we cannot hold the government accountable for every action of racially biased police officers.

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Bookish_Gal

Statistical evidence contradicted the FHA‘s assumptions that the presence of African-Americans caused property values of whites to fall. Often racial integration cause property values to increase.

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Ang203l
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Nothing like some cat snores as a soundtrack to reading!

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Well-ReadNeck
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Pickpick

Just. Wow. This book is a must read for Social Justice information. I read prior to seeing the author speak and I was blown away by the book and his talk. Accessible book with a strong legal argument for declaring the US government‘s behavior regarding housing to be de jure segregation. Meaning, that the law created the discrimination which requires remedial action. #BLM

Leftcoastzen On my TBR , your review is gonna move it up the pile. 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Such a great book!!!! 4y
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Bookish_Gal

Other influential zoning experts made no effort to conceal their expectation that zoning was an effective means to racial exclusion.

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Nebklvr
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Pickpick

A little repetitive in places but it has a plethora of information on the Government‘s past racist tendencies and support of organizations that were openly racist.

Texreader Wow! This sounds great! 4y
Nebklvr @Texreader Lots of good info! 4y
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Bookish_Gal
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We like to think of American history as a continuous march of progress toward greater freedom, greater equality, and greater justice. But sometimes we move backwards, dramatically so. Residential integration declined steadily from 1880 to three mid-twentieth century, and it had mostly stalled since then. (Racial Zoning)
This is ridiculous to look at. Sometimes I really cannot comprehend how people thought -and believed- stuff like this

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Bookish_Gal
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Happy Labor Day!! While this is the end of summer bbq, I‘m reading this history about how some workers were pushed to the side with segregation tactics. Blacks workers were told to work hard, but were banned from buying homes or even asking for a loan to do so. This is an intriguing look back to the 1940‘s. Hope it doesn‘t stay like a textbook of straight up information, though; that‘s hard for me to stay with

Nebklvr Reading this too. More than a little rage-inducing. 4y
6 likes1 comment
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MEGR
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It‘s my wedding anniversary today! 17 years....and the sweetest thing I can do is let him sleep 💤...about to begin this book with a cup of tea and enjoy the quiet morning before it gets too hot 🥵

xicanti Happy anniversary! 4y
Reggie Happy Anniversary!!!🥳 4y
MEGR Thank you @xicanti and @Reggie ! 💙 4y
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Davidtk20
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Pickpick

This book has been carefully crafted to show how state sanctioned segregation has perpetuated throughout the 20th century and inversely affected African Americans. It is a must-read for all Americans. Our understanding of how housing today is so shallow and flawed that it prevents the remedies required to eliminate the systemic abuse enacted on African Americans

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Librarybelle
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Pickpick

I‘ll lend my voice to the many positive reviews of this book on Litsy. Rothstein expertly dissects the de jure segregation African Americans face in the United States, specifically related to housing and the disadvantages that resulted from the government‘s laws. It is appalling, and it is a bit uncomfortable, but I think that is Rothstein‘s intention - it should make you uncomfortable and recognize the biases in something as simple as housing. ⬇️

Librarybelle I feel this is a must read. Rothstein dissects everything, explaining his reasoning in such an easy to read manner. The appendix where he answers questions from his critics and readers is perfect. 4y
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PurpleTulipGirl
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Pickpick

I can‘t recommend this book enough. In clear, understandable language, the author spells out the economic and social harm that has resulted from segregation in housing. Segregation was often set in place not by other homeowners but by the local, state, and national governments. Includes suggestions for remedies, using above quote to make his point.

SW-T This one‘s been on my TBR for a while. Like the quote you shared. 4y
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ThisIsAvaRose
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Pickpick

I knew when I started this book that it would be filling a large gap in my education, having grown up in a very segregated community. What I didn't know is that not only would it clearly articulate the causes of the polarization and divide in our country, it also outlined some clear solutions that could have a huge impact if only our politicians would acknowledge the reality of the situation. This needs to be taught in schools.

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brandierickson
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Pickpick

Not gonna lie, this book is very dry and kind of just lays out facts without any attempt at a narrative, so it‘s not my favorite type of nonfiction. That said, the facts presented are important and devastating. I would still absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the history of anti-Black racism, but just know it‘s more of a textbook than anything else.

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

This book breaks down how the federal, state, and local government throughout the U.S. used racist housing policy to enact racial segregation across the country. It is an incredibly detailed argument with lots of examples from the past 100 years. It also explains how these policies created lasting effects in the black community that have not been erased by simply removing these policies. It's a little dry, but super interesting information.

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Books88
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Loving my new antiracist mug from Ideal Bookshelf.

Julsmarshall 😍😍 4y
Christine Ooh wow. Off to Ideal Bookshelf. ❤️ 4y
DimeryRene I need one!!!! ❤️💗❤️ 4y
mrp27 💗💗💗 4y
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ValerieAndBooks
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Pickpick

A must-read for everyone. Rothstein shows us many systemic and even unconstitutional examples that our federal, state, and local governments perpetuated in order to maintain racial segregation. This has happened all over the country, from California to Long Island NY. In suburban and urban areas. Focus is on the 20th century but even this century has examples. It‘s all very appalling & helps me understand how things got to where they are today.

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jcalyn5
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1957, a Black couple buys a home in a white neighborhood.

“...troopers were dispatched when the police failed to end the harassment... the state troopers also declined to perform their duty...

“One sergeant was demoted to patrolman because he objected to orders he had been given not to interfere with the rioters.”

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ThisIsAvaRose
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This book is so informative about the historic forces that shape the way we live today, I feel that it should be required reading, particularly for young students growing up in areas that are deeply segregated (such as the one where I grew up).

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wicdiv
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It‘s my birthday today, so what better way to celebrate than by reading some books 🎉

BookmarkTavern Happy birthday! 🎊🎁🎂 4y
wicdiv @ozma.of.oz thank you so much! Just having a relaxed day today 4y
BookmarkTavern Sounds like the best kind of birthday. 😁 4y
4 likes3 comments