The Color of Law

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The Color of Law
The Color of Law (book cover).jpg
Cover image
Author Richard Rothstein
Subject Jim Crow, redlining
Publisher Liveright
Publication date
May 2017
Pages368
Awards 2018 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism [1]
ISBN 978-1-63149-285-3
OCLC 959808903
305.8
LC Class E185.61

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America is a 2017 book by Richard Rothstein on the history of racial segregation in the United States. The book documents the history of state sponsored segregation stretching back to the late 1800s and exposes racially discriminatory policies put forward by most presidential administrations in that time, including liberal presidents like Franklin Roosevelt. [2] The author argues that intractable segregation in America is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels, also known as de jure segregation and not happenstance, or de facto segregation. [3] Among other discussions, the book provides a history of subsidized housing and discusses the phenomenons of white flight, blockbusting, and racial covenants, and their role in housing segregation. Rothstein wrote the book while serving as a research associate for the Economic Policy Institute, where he is now a Distinguished Fellow.

Contents

The book has been reviewed many times and was received with critical acclaim; among other honors, it made the longlist for the 2017 National Book Awards, [4] was placed at number four on Publishers Weekly 's Top 10 Best Books of 2017, [5] and won Rothstein the 2018 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism. [1] It went on to become a bestseller during the mid-2020 resurgence of national interest in racial injustice following the George Floyd protests. [6] As of the December 20th, 2020 issue, the book has spent 32 total weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. [7]

Background

The author, pictured in 2015 Richard Rothstein at Economic Policy Institute.jpg
The author, pictured in 2015

At the time of the book's release, Rothstein was a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute [2] [8] and a fellow Haas Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. [9] He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Policy Institute, a senior fellow emeritus at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and is considered a leading authority on housing policy in the United States. [1] He has previously written several other articles on race and educational accountability and is the author of several other books in the area, including Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Improvement to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap and Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right. [1]

Themes

Segregation is categorized into two types by Rothstein, de jure and de facto. [10] While de facto segregation simply exists due to people's habits, de jure segregation is the result of laws and ordinances that discriminate against minorities. In the preface of the book, Rothstein argues that, if it can be shown that housing segregation in America is the result of de jure factors rather than simply de facto, then all Americans have a constitutional obligation to remedy the problem. [2] The book is devoted to arguing that intractable segregation in America is de jure in nature, being the result of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels. [3] Focusing on post-Reconstruction racial segregation in the United States, the book provides a history of subsidized housing, the phenomenons of white flight and blockbusting, and the concept of racial covenants, which all factor into the history of housing segregation in America. [10] In the book's discussions of the history of subsidized housing, it exposes policies in FDR's New Deal that oversaw construction of public housing, built with federal tax dollars, in which African Americans were systematically excluded. [9] Among discussions of other government programs to the same end, the book finds that African Americans were excluded from most FHA insured loans, due to the high risk of providing mortgages on homes in racially mixed neighborhoods, and shows a pattern of US courts upholding private exclusionary agreements, known as covenants, which forbade the sale of homes to minority groups. [9]

Content

Table of contents
ChapterTitle
1If San Francisco, then Everywhere?
2Public Housing, Black Ghettos
3Racial Zoning
4"Own Your Own Home"
5Private Agreements, Government Enforcement
6White Flight
7IRS Support and Compliant Regulators
8Local Tactics
9State-Sanctioned Violence
10Suppressed Incomes
11Looking Forward, Looking Back
12Considering Fixes

The book is composed of twelve chapters and includes an epilogue as well as an appendix of frequently asked questions. [10] The first chapter of the book, "If San Francisco, then Everywhere?", argues that the racially disparate policies instituted by the otherwise liberal governments of cities such as San Francisco is evidence of a widespread problem. [10] Chapter two discusses the history of subsidized housing in the United States. [10] The third chapter covers policies of "racial zoning", where local zoning ordinances lead to the segregation of white and black neighborhoods. [10] Chapter four discusses a program by the US government, the Own-Your-Own-Home campaign, that systematically made it easier for white people to buy and pay off new homes in suburbs in the early 1900s. [10] The fifth chapter discusses police and court enforcement of private agreements forbidding the sale of homes in white neighborhoods to blacks and other minorities. [10] Many of these agreements were in the form of covenants in a house's deed which explicitly blocked sales of the homes to anyone not of the "Caucasian race". [10] Chapter six discusses white flight and blockbusting tactics used by real estate agents to accelerate the migration in order to make a profit. [10]

Reception

The book has received many reviews in newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and scientific journals and has been listed on The New York Times Non-Fiction Paperback Best Seller list for non-fiction paperback books over two dozen times. Among others, the book was reviewed by Francesca Russello Ammon, [8] David Oshinsky, [2] Anna Richardson, [9] Terry Gross, [11] and Jacqueline Jones. [12] Reviews have been published in several newspapers, including The New York Times , [2] The Washington Post , [6] NPR, [11] The Tampa Bay Times , [3] and The Baltimore Sun , [13] as well as several popular magazines and periodicals, such as Publishers Weekly , [14] Slate Magazine , [15] [16] The New York Review of Books , [17] The Los Angeles Review of Books , [9] The Kenyon Review , [18] Kirkus Reviews , [19] Dissent Magazine , [12] and Jacobin . [20] It has also received many reviews in history journals, [21] [22] [23] [10] education journals, [24] [25] and administrative and planning journals. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]

Reviews

In The New York Times Book Review for the work, written by David Oshinsky in June 2017, the book is called "a powerful and disturbing history of residential segregation in America". [2] Oshinsky went on to write that "[o]ne of the great strengths of Rothstein's account is the sheer weight of evidence he marshals." [2] After some analysis of the book and a discussion of background information, Oshinsky closes the review by writing that "[w]hile the road forward is far from clear, there is no better history of this troubled journey than The Color of Law." [2]

In her November 2017 review, Anna Richardson wrote that the book is "broadly accessible yet painstakingly researched" and notes that "[i]t is the rare book that evokes as much anger and outrage as this one". [9] After a discussion of the book's insights, Richardson closes the review by stating that the book documents in "appalling detail" the need for affirmative action as the "remedy for state-sponsored discrimination of the past". [9] Jacqueline Jones called the book "compelling" in her Fall 2017 review of the book and wrote that it provides "a detailed examination of the ways public entities have colluded with private interests to keep black people out of white neighborhoods". [12]

In the June 2019 issue of Jacobin magazine, Richard Walker, a professor emeritus of geography at the University of California — Berkeley, criticized the book for giving outsized blame to federal policy for housing segregation, a conclusion that he said was the result of Rothstein's “dubious scholarship." Wrote Walker, “The fundamental error of this thesis stems from its depiction of racism as a system imposed from above, by the state, rather than something embedded in American social structures since before the founding." Walker states that, while federal housing law “lined up with the prevailing practices of racial segregation … Rothstein's idea that this was imposed on reluctant localities is ludicrous.” [31]

Accolades

Among other acclamations of the book, it made the longlist for the 2017 National Book Awards, [4] it was placed at number four on Publishers Weekly 's Top 10 Best Books of 2017, [5] it was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2017 [32] one of Bill Gates' favorite books of the same year, [33] and it won Rothstein the 2018 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism. [1] The book spent four weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list beginning at position three in the May 20, 2018, issue [34] and ending at number ten on June 10, 2018, issue. [35] Following racial unrest in the United States, the book re-entered the list in June 2020. [36] For the book's 23rd consecutive week and 28th total week on the list in the November 22, 2020, issue, the book was placed at number five. [37] As of the December 20th, 2020 issue, the book has spent 32 total weeks on the list. [7]

The book's award summary for the 2018 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism argues the work had provided "incontrovertible evidence that it was the laws and policies passed by local, state, and federal governments that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day". [1] After summarizing the topics, the Hillman Foundation went on to note that "Rothstein's invaluable examination shows that relearning this history is a necessary step because it is the foundation for understanding that aggressive policies are in order to desegregate these urban areas and finally pave the way for the nation to remedy its unconstitutional past". [1]

Publication information

The book was published in New York in May 2017 by Liveright Publishing, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company. It was originally published in hardback with ISBN   978-1-63149-285-3 and in e-book format with ISBN   978-1-63149-286-0, while a paperback edition with ISBN   978-1-63149-453-6 was published a year later. In addition to the publications by Liveright, Recorded Books released an audiobook edition in October 2017.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by people of different races. Specifically, it may be applied to activities such as eating in restaurants, drinking from water fountains, using public toilets, attending schools, going to films, riding buses, renting or purchasing homes or renting hotel rooms. In addition, segregation often allows close contact between members of different racial or ethnic groups in hierarchical situations, such as allowing a person of one race to work as a servant for a member of another race. Racial segregation has generally been outlawed worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redlining</span> Systemic denial of services to some areas

Redlining is a discriminatory practice in which financial services are withheld from neighborhoods that have significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities. Redlining has been most prominent in the United States, and has mostly been directed against African-Americans. The most common examples involve denial of credit and insurance, denial of healthcare, and the development of food deserts in minority neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levittown</span> 1950s housing developments in the United States

Levittown is the name of several large suburban housing developments created in the United States by William J. Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning white veterans and their new families, the communities offered attractive alternatives to cramped central city locations and apartments. The Veterans Administration and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) guaranteed builders that qualified veterans could buy housing for a fraction of rental costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollingwood, California</span> Census-designated place in California, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Volpe</span> American politician and diplomat (1908–1994)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 California Proposition 14</span> 1964 California ballot proposition

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Racial steering refers to the practice in which real estate brokers guide prospective home buyers towards or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race. The term is used in the context of de facto residential segregation in the United States, and is often divided into two broad classes of conduct:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racial segregation in the United States</span>

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Homer Hoyt was an American economist known for his pioneering work in land use planning, zoning, and real estate economics. He conducted notable research on land economics and developed an influential approach to the analysis of neighborhoods and housing markets. His sector model of land use was influential in urban planning for several decades. His legacy is controversial today, due to his prominent role in the development and justification of racially segregated housing policy and redlining in American cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoning in the United States</span> Provision in urban planning in the United States

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Residential segregation is the physical separation of two or more groups into different neighborhoods—a form of segregation that "sorts population groups into various neighborhood contexts and shapes the living environment at the neighborhood level". While it has traditionally been associated with racial segregation, it generally refers to the separation of populations based on some criteria.

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In the United States, housing segregation is the practice of denying African Americans and other minority groups equal access to housing through the process of misinformation, denial of realty and financing services, and racial steering. Housing policy in the United States has influenced housing segregation trends throughout history. Key legislation include the National Housing Act of 1934, the G.I. Bill, and the Fair Housing Act. Factors such as socioeconomic status, spatial assimilation, and immigration contribute to perpetuating housing segregation. The effects of housing segregation include relocation, unequal living standards, and poverty. However, there have been initiatives to combat housing segregation, such as the Section 8 housing program.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">School segregation in the United States</span> Racial separation in schools

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Richard Thompson Ford is the George E. Osborne Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. His scholarship includes work on critical race theory, local government law, housing segregation, and employment discrimination. He has served as a housing commissioner for the San Francisco Housing Commission, and continues to work with local governments on issues of affordable housing and segregation. His book Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality was chosen as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011. His 2021 book on dress codes explores the relationship between fashion and power.

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Richard Rothstein is an American academic and author affiliated with the Economic Policy Institute, and a senior fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. His current research focuses on the history of segregation in the United States with regards to education and housing.

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Oshinsky 2017
  3. 1 2 3 Brink, Graham (July 24, 2018). "Government led segregation, author says". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved November 13, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
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  5. 1 2 "Best Books 2017 Publishers Weekly". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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  11. 1 2 Gross 2017
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  13. Harrison, Jane (December 21, 2017). "Readers respond: Racial discrimination does drive government spending". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved November 13, 2020.
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  15. Cohen, Rachel M. (May 5, 2017). "The Courts Still Say No One Knows What Causes Segregation. A New Book Argues That's Absurd". Slate Magazine . Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  16. Blumgart, Jake (June 2, 2017). "Housing Is Shamefully Segregated. Who Segregated It?". Slate Magazine . Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  17. DeParle, Jason (February 22, 2018). "When Government Drew the Color Line". The New York Review of Books . ISSN   0028-7504. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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Further reading

External media
Audio
Nuvola apps arts.svg Author interview on NPR with Ari Shapiro, May 2017
Nuvola apps arts.svg NPR on-air book review by Terry Gross, May 2017
Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Conversation on c-span between Rothstein and Ta-Nehisi Coates, May 2017
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Acceptance speech for the 2018 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, May 2018
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Brown University lecture on the book by Rothstein, February 2019
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Columbia University lecture on the book by Rothstein, September 2019