During the month of September, we’ll review some key divisions in our community, and then focus on solutions provided in the 2020 Act Rochester Hard Facts Update. Follow along on social media for regular posts and get ready to engage in some hard work and conversations.
From the United Way’s Racial Equity Challenge (Day 15):
Over the past 15 days, we have explored how Rochester is “a tale of two cities.” On one side, our community boasts incredible innovation, some of the best academic institutions in American, comfortable living environments, relatively low unemployment rates, and plenty of recreational opportunities. Yet on the other side, the 2020 Act Rochester Hard Facts Update highlights significant disparities across our region that disproportionately affect Black and Latino people.
RESOURCES
This History of Segregation and and Structural Racism in Rochester for Kids (video)
The Divide Within Us, by Smriti Jacob (Rochester Beacon, 2020)
Use of racial covenants in Monroe County was pervasive and encouraged, by Justin Murphy (Democrat & Chronicle, 2020)
Did you know? The game of Monopoly was originally created to emphasize property taxation, not property acquisition. Learn more in this Throughline podcast episode.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES
How has decades of housing discrimination impacted your community?
How has the history of land ownership affected your economic situation?
Using this redlining in America interactive map, check out where you live now and/or where you’ve previously lived. In which of the “two cities” have you spent your life so far?
This map shows subdivision tracts that are confirmed to have at least one racial covenant in them that denied people of color the right to live in that home (developed from this report: https://law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/environmental-protection-clinic-releases-report-racial-covenants)
Do a little research! If you’re a homeowner, what does the deed to your house say? Here’s a pamphlet to get you started in Monroe County.