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It would appear that Richard Rothstein doesn’t have kids, or was privileged enough to send them to private schools. De facto private segregation is largely the

It would appear that Richard Rothstein doesn’t have kids, or was privileged enough to send them to private schools. De facto private segregation is largely the result of integrated public schools and busing. As schools integrated, parents perceived that educational outcomes were declining, and they fled to the burbs. This drove up prices and largely kept black families out. This continues to this day in many metros where the young start their adult lives “in the city,” and once their kids start reaching school age, head to suburbia.

ProfessorLayton 5y ago
I highly recommend reading the book. Suburbia was made more expensive by design through zoning (high minimum lot sizes etc) to keep out PoC. Many of these zoning rules are still in place, which is contributing to wealth inequality, and the current housing “shortage” — which is mostly artificial through restrictive zoning. One of the largest indicators of educational attainment is family wealth, and guess where much of that wealth comes from? Housing. What you’re describing is a symptom of the larger problems brought on by racist policies this book describes in detail.
- tiahura 5y ago
  You’re applying 2022 thinking to a process from the 40s and 50s. While racially restrictive covenants and deeds certainly were a thing, at the time these subdivisions were created, the primary goal was to keep riffraff out. In many (most?) of these communities, the idea that blacks would be moving in was about as big of a concern as Eskimos. The notion that 1/2 acre lot with 100ft setback ordinances were racially motivated is silly.
whimsicalism 5y ago
There are multiple factors, I don't think what you are saying is at odds with these sort of claims around red lining. Also, these "perceptions" are shaped by racism, of course.
shadowgovt 5y ago
The history of public schooling is pretty racially-driven. Consider the massive private school enrollment in response to the Brown vs Board of Education decision (https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/historyofprivateschools/ https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/historyofpriv...). This happened too quickly to be explained by educational outcomes; it was overt racism, a belief that school integration was fundamentally wrong.

ProfessorLayton 5y ago

I highly recommend reading the book. Suburbia was made more expensive by design through zoning (high minimum lot sizes etc) to keep out PoC. Many of these zoning rules are still in place, which is contributing to wealth inequality, and the current housing “shortage” — which is mostly artificial through restrictive zoning. One of the largest indicators of educational attainment is family wealth, and guess where much of that wealth comes from? Housing. What you’re describing is a symptom of the larger problems brought on by racist policies this book describes in detail.

tiahura 5y ago
You’re applying 2022 thinking to a process from the 40s and 50s. While racially restrictive covenants and deeds certainly were a thing, at the time these subdivisions were created, the primary goal was to keep riffraff out. In many (most?) of these communities, the idea that blacks would be moving in was about as big of a concern as Eskimos. The notion that 1/2 acre lot with 100ft setback ordinances were racially motivated is silly.

whimsicalism 5y ago

There are multiple factors, I don't think what you are saying is at odds with these sort of claims around red lining. Also, these "perceptions" are shaped by racism, of course.

shadowgovt 5y ago

The history of public schooling is pretty racially-driven. Consider the massive private school enrollment in response to the Brown vs Board of Education decision (https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/historyofprivateschools/ https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/historyofpriv...). This happened too quickly to be explained by educational outcomes; it was overt racism, a belief that school integration was fundamentally wrong.