Purpose
In the 1930s, local real estate agents helped the Federal Government survey neighborhoods around the nation to assess the potential “risk” for Federal underwriting of home loans through a New Deal agency, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC). The effort produced controversial maps that graded properties from “secure” 1stgrade properties outlined in green all the way down to 4thgrade areas, outlined in red, that were considered to be “hazardous” for investment.
This meant that residents in wealthy areas had a much greater chance of securing low-cost, government-backed mortgages than their counterparts in the “redlined” neighborhoods. Communities with even a small presence of African Americans, Mexican Americans, Japanese Americans, or other groups deemed "subversive" to home values were excluded entirely from obtaining the low-cost, government-backed home loans that were extended to residents of middle- and upper-class white communities. Because homeownership is the most important source of generational wealth accumulation for the majority of American families, historians contend that racial redlining is a major ingredient in today’s racial wealth gap. As the following readings show, redlining had a particularly significant impact and legacy for minority communities in greater Los Angeles:
Assessing the long term impacts of redlining in Los Angeles is an important question as California struggles with a housing affordability crisis that has disproportionately impacted people of color. In this Part I of this assignment, we will use the HOLC map of greater Los Angeles and current demographic data to make historical arguments about the present-day consequences of historical institutionalized housing discrimination.
Content Knowledge:We will understand how government and private entities used different demographic characteristics to determine the distribution of federal resources during the New Deal era and the way that these decisions strengthened inequality. We will understand how historical patterns of government-sponsored, institutional discrimination impact the present-day housing market.
Analytical Skills:We will apply our skills in document analysis to interpret and contextualize information from a variety of primary sources. We will make connections across time periods and assess recent demographic trends.
Writing Skills:We will compose thesis-driven analyses supported by evidence from a variety of sources.
Beyond the Classroom:We will gain knowledge of the root causes of racial and economic inequality, and reveal the innerworkings of institutional power. We will investigate the ways in which historical forces, specifically institutionalized inequalities, shape the world around us.
Tasks
What to do:Explore the Los Angeles HOLC map on the Mapping Inequality websitehttps://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/(Links to an external site.)and locate:
- one “redlined” (4thgrade) area
- one area marked in either blue (2ndgrade) or green (1stgrade)
- Read through the area descriptions, taking careful notes on the ways in which the map’s compilers described the residents, homes, landscape, and community in the selected areas.
***If the Mapping Inequality website is not displaying area descriptions properly, you can view selected descriptions offline:RedliningAreaDescriptions_LAMap.pdf
What to do:Compare and contrast your selected area descriptions to the claims about redlining made in the above linked American Yawp chapter section and/or essays by Reft and Rothstein. Determine whether your selected area descriptions tell the same or a different story.
What to do:Figure out the corresponding zip code for the selected areas by using the following website:https://www.zipmap.net/California/Los_Angeles_County.htm(Links to an external site.)
What to do:Locate relevant information about the demographics, infrastructure, schools, safety, and housing market, for each area zip code usingat least twoof the following sources:
(Links to an external site.)
What to do:Write a 500-750 word,thesis-driven
essay that explainswhether or not you observe the legacy of racial redlining in the evidence that you have gathered about your selected areas. Your essay must address the following question:
How and to what extent do demographic trends in your selected areas support historians’ argument that the impacts of New Deal-era racial redlining can be traced to the present?
Your essay should include:
- an introduction that outlines the legacy of racial redlining and offers your thesis statement
- several body paragraphs explaining the evidence that supports your thesis
- a conclusion recounting your argument and evidence
- a bibliography
Criteria
Did you locatearea descriptions for one “redlined” area and one additional area that received a higher grade (2nd/ blue, 1st/ green)?
Did you examinethe most important information in each selected area description, including the racial/ethnic/class makeup of the residents, the stated “hazards” or positive features in the area, and the condition of the homes?
Did you reflecton what these area descriptions tell us about the connection between racial attitudes and housing during the mid-20thcentury?
Did you compare and contrastyour selected area descriptions to the claims about redlining made in the above linked American Yawp chapter section and/or essays by Reft and Rothstein.
Did you determinewhether your selected area descriptions tell the same or a different story.
Did you identifythe zip codes that correspond to your area descriptions?
Did you examinerecent demographic information, such as race and class, for the zip code from the Federal Census data?
Did you analyzerelevant information on residents’ education level, home values, school ratings, and crime statistics for the zip code using city-data.com or the Trulia / Zillow housing websites?
Did you composea thesis statement that answers the question:How and to what extent do demographic trends in your selected areas support historians’ argument that the impacts of New Deal-era racial redlining can be traced to the present?
Did you supportyour thesis statement with evidence from the HOLC area descriptions, Federal Census, and Trulia/Zillow data?
Did you citeyour sources using using Chicago style?:http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html(Links to an external site.)For this assignment, you will be using a minimum of three sources, which can be cited as following these formats:
- HOLC area descriptions:“[insert name of your area], HOLC Map of Greater Los Angeles” Mapping Inequality, accessed [insert date you viewed the website],
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/(Links to an external site.).
- Census information: “2017 American Community Survey for[insert zip code],” American Fact Finder, US Census Bureau, accessed [insert date you viewed the website]
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml(Links to an external site.)
- City-data.com / Trulia / Zillow website information:“[insert zip code/search terms],[name of website], accessed [insert date you viewed the website],https://[website