Sarah Shoenfeld and April De Simone
Washington, DC today is a city with stark divisions along racial and economic lines. As the population has grown in recent years, those divisions have deepened, sparking conversations about gentrification, who gets to live where, and who gets to build wealth.
In the early 20th century, racially restrictive covenants helped establish White and Black neighborhoods and barred Black home ownership in much of the city. Redlining by banks and real estate firms–the practice of valuing homes and whole neighborhoods based on the race of who lived there–served to entrench segregation and the racial wealth gap. “Slum clearance” and urban renewal flipped the racial makeup of neighborhoods and enriched developers by displacing long-standing Black communities. The association of Whiteness with higher property values persists today.
How did race-based federal housing policies and local zoning shape DC in the 20th century? What does structural racism look like in housing and real estate development today? And what does history teach us about how to create a more just and equitable city for all residents?
The DC History Center presents a conversation between social impact designer April De Simone and historian Sarah Shoenfeld. They will discuss the structural racism behind housing policy, from the early 20th century to today, and the effects of these policies on our city and on the lives of Washingtonians. Together they will consider how the lessons of history can inform the work of activists and engaged citizens in imagining and demanding housing justice.