Segregation and poverty

Racial residential segregation and poverty. Two things most Americans would rather not think about. And do you hear either presidential candidate talking much about them? I sure don't. But they're real and ongoing problems. And they're related.

A variety of forces have combined to make racial residential segregation an enduring feature of American society. Scholars continue to wrestle with the issue and try to make sense of it. What causes it? What enables it to persist? What effects does it have? The answers are not simple, but we've figured out some things. Blacks continue to be the most highly segregated racial minority group today. Hispanics and Asians are segregated, but to a lesser extent (though, during the 1990s, both groups saw an increase in segregation). I'm going to focus mostly on blacks in the post.

Some regions of the country are worse than others; metropolitan areas in the midwest and northeast have the highest levels. The creation of segregation was deliberate on the part of whites. Individuals, communities, and government sought to ensure that the growing, urban black population was relegated to poorer, less desirable areas in which to live. Today, while laws have improved and discrimination lessened somewhat, blacks still face formidable challenges. Discrimination, whites' residential preferences, and other factors continue to make it difficult for blacks to overcome the effects of segregation. Blacks are less able than other racial groups to translate socio-economic gains into better living conditions.

Income and wealth inequality between whites and blacks is real and ongoing. And a lot of it probably has to do with racial residential segregation. Low-income, mostly-black neighborhoods have worse schools, less jobs, and poorer residential conditions. Their residents have poorer health and feel less safe. Segregation leads to areas of concentrated poverty. Segregation perpetuates and reinforces racial inequality.

I don't have any big solutions. No one does. But I feel like knowing about it, talking about it, and giving it the attention it deserves is something I can do. We must work toward a fairer, more integrated, more just society - no matter how overwhelming the job seems.