Americans often believe that the stark recial disparities in homeownership and wealth that exist in this country are the result of bad choices made by people of color. They also assert that segregated neighborhoods exist because people want to live among others like them, or that segregation is a thing of the past. Neither of these ideas is correct.

The fact is that powerful forces in the public and private sectors, including the federal government, intentionally created segregated neighborhoods. These policies and practices made separation, disinvestment, and displacement the norm in Black neighborhoods and other neighborhoods housing people of color. Wealth and opportunity gaps, under-resourced schools, and impoverished neighborhoods are just a few of the most glaring consequences of segregation's lasting legacy. Segregation, a process that started and supposedly ended decades ago, still continues to this day. As of 2018, the average white resident in the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas still lived in a 71 percent white neighborhood; the average Black resident, a 45 percent Black one. The Black homeownership rate in the U.S. stood at 44.1 percent in December 2020; the white homeownership rate stood at 74.5 percent. Segregation's exact legacy and history, however, vary by locale.

Our resources hope to reframe how we might understand segregation by moving it closer to home. Understanding the history and consequences of segregation as they manifest in our communities, and redressing these issues at home, is a crucial step in building toward broader, nationally-focused movements. Our resources consist of a series of basic questions we encourage you to ask of your community, a list of vocabulary we use, a curriculum consisting of four modules, and policy briefs.

This is the start of Redress work!