African-Americans have had a tough life in the U.S. In the Colour of Law, Richard Rothstein evaluates segregation, discrimination, injustices, and oppression subjected to people of color in America. Neighborhoods are separated by de jure segregation. In short, all levels of government passed laws that upheld prejudiced patterns.
Despite the Supreme Court banning segregation of cities based on color, legislators enacted policies to certify the separation of blacks from whites. Richard gives the story of Frank Stevenson to justify his claim. Frank was employed at the Ford Motor factory. The government constructed public housing for whites at Milpitas. Frank found it difficult to settle in Milpitas because the place was preserved for whites only.
Richard proposes several actions that need to be taken to end housing segregation. Fair Housing Act should be enforced and the houses belonging to blacks need to be sold at cheap price. Real estate agents should be motivated to assimilate neighborhoods. Tax incentives for all-whites neighborhood should be suspended to compel them to incorporate blacks. The proposals suggested by Richard can help integrate blacks in the neighborhoods belonging to whites. The move can reduce or end residential segregation.
Local, state, and federal governments enacted policies that deliberately enhanced and endorsed housing segregation. Racist policies were endorsed by legislators to promote and enforce the segregation. Whites should prepare to integrate their residential homes with blacks. However, the bigger problem lies in the perception held by whites. Some of these white people believe that integrating their neighborhoods would bring more troubles. Without undoing past mistakes, it will be hard to end racism in the U.S.
