Consequences of racial discrimination in urban housing development
From a very early point in American history, the race has been a point of concern. Cultural clashes have been happening since the time of Columbus’s arrival; then the oppression and persecution of the black people. It is an accepted notion that unequal socio-economic growth has led to massive discrimination in the housing industry.
Recently, social scientist Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America focuses on the heinous role of the government that has successfully managed lock the black people in the country into substandard housing and under-resourced public services.
Consequences of racial discrimination
Racial discrimination is not only harrowing for the people facing it, but it also leaves its mark across the generations. It is understood that any sort of discrimination is psychologically detrimental to humans of any age. Consequences of racial discrimination over the centuries and now in recent times affect people’s behavior patterns on a psychological level.
According to the World Health Organization report, the average cost of the interpersonal violence seen in the US is more $300 billion per year. This is a very large number, and that does not include the average cost to the victims, which amounts to more than $500 million per year. In USA, over $1.7 trillion is spent each year on containing violence. This goes to show how bad the situation actually is.
Racial discrimination effects on housing
Government colluding aggressively with real estate developers, religious institutions as well as homeowners’ associations to ensure that the black people were kept away from white neighborhoods. Although most of the efforts were concentrated were before the 1960 riots, there are still examples to be found where the practice is still prevailing today.
Discrimination is a direct violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution; any type of segregation by race is seen as an extension of slavery and a major violation of people’s Constitutional rights.
Although the book explores the relationship of societal discrimination leading to housing trouble for minorities, it states that unfortunately, the state of affairs was untraceable to the government’s own action, rather it led a trail to private decisions, that are impervious to court-mandated orders.
Racial discrimination in the housing industry shows an undeniable gulf between the white population and the blacks. In America, native-born black children see urban neighborhood segregation almost three times as much as in The UK. Unless stringent action and laws are monitored for fair treatment
, discrimination will continue in an underhanded manner for decades.