3 chapters across the catalog
Richard Rothstein explains that the FHA required developers like those in Levittown to include clauses in property deeds prohibiting the resale or rental of homes to Black Americans. This government-sanctioned exclusion prevented Black families from building equity while whites received subsidized mortgages. Mo Facts argues this was an intentional effort to create a permanent "bottom" in the American social hierarchy.
A segment from "Adam Ruins Everything" explains how the creation of the American suburbs was a result of racist federal policies. During the New Deal, the FHA created color-coded maps where green areas were deemed safe for loans and red areas (minority neighborhoods) were denied. This institutionalized redlining ensured that 98% of home loans between 1934 and 1968 went to white families, effectively subsidizing white wealth while excluding Black families.
Eugene Burnett, a Black World War II veteran, recounts being denied the opportunity to buy a home in Levittown despite the GI Bill's promises. Salesmen explicitly told him that the developers had not yet decided to sell to "Negroes." This exclusion prevented Black veterans from accessing the same low-interest credit and wealth-building opportunities that were granted to their white counterparts after the war.
