Housing

It is obvious that housing for African Americans has been heavily affected by redlining. Although African Americans were forced into poor neighborhoods more than 80 years ago, its effects are still heavily felt today, as many of these communities have never gained their wealth back.  Home values in today's market are evidence of the effects that still haunt us today. When talking about housing, one source said “By 1997, homes in formerly redlined areas were worth less than half the value of homes in neighborhoods that had been deemed the "best" for mortgage lending. Over the last two decades, that gap has actually widened, according to analysis of home values across the nation” (Charles). This shows how redlining still dictates our modern day housing market, and how detrimental redlining has been, as homes that many African Americans were forced to live in do not carry the same value. The same source also said “ In Detroit, homes in redlined neighborhoods are worth four times less than those in neighborhoods tagged as prime real estate in the 1930s. In Atlanta, properties in redlined neighborhoods are seven times less valuable” (Charles). This shows how bad the gaps can be, as houses can be 7 times less valuable in some areas. This decreased values in homes are determining factors for many other disparities. For example, opportunities for African Americans are limited, as schools are based on property tax. This means that schools in their area do not receive nearly as much funding as white neighborhoods, which limits opportunities for many African Americans. Housing also affects businesses, as supermarkets with higher quality food are less likely to open up businesses in black neighborhoods, due to the lack of wealth. This leads to African Americans having to eat at cheaper, fewer quality alternatives, such as Mcdonalds, or KFC, which consuming over a long period of time may have detrimental effects on health. This largely contributes to heart disease in African Americans, as African American women are roughly 14% more likely to have heart disease than white women (Thomas). Housing plays a crucial role in redlining, as it is the determining factor for many other disparities.  In America, because housing plays such a pivotal role in other factors, such as businesses and quality of education, it is the primary way for Americans to obtain wealth. Opportunities to obtain much of this wealth was very limited to African Americans, and the effects today cripple the African American community, making it significantly harder to obtain wealth, and live the "American Dream".