Today on What's The Frequency, we are exploring redlining, a discriminatory practice that consists of the systematic denial of services such as mortgages, insurance loans, and other financial services to residents of certain areas, based on their race or ethnicity.
Redlining goes back many decades and restricted where people could live, and resulted in people being denied the ability to live in a home they really wanted, simply because of where the house was located and their race.
Redlining occurred all over America, including Sioux City,
The Sioux City Human Rights Commission back in May at the city public museum did a presentation exploring the history and lasting impact of redlining practices that shaped housing patterns in the city.
While redlining was primarily carried out by financial institutions, real estate markets profited from racial housing discrimination by using blockbusting methods in tighter housing markets. Both redlining and blockbusting were outlawed under the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Joining me for this show are Karen Mackey, who is the Executive Director of the Sioux City Human Rights Commission, and Jim Tillman, a local author who has extensively chronicled the history of black people in Sioux City.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 111.
