Procedures

• Step 1: Begin by viewing the 2020 US Census Data By Race map. Have students choose their hometown, or the closest city to them, and identify what they notice regarding the relationship between race and geographic location.

  2020 US Census Map by Race (US Census Bureau)

  Some suggested cities to view on the map:

  • Detroit
  • Chicago
  • Washington DC
  • New Orleans

• Discussion Questions/Writing Prompts:

  • What observations most stood out to you when examining the census data? Why?

  • If most schools primarily serve the local communities, what impact might these findings have on student learning and awareness in some of the most homogenous areas?

  • What recent historical or cultural factors may have impacted the current racial geography of the nation, especially knowing that legal segregation has been outlawed for more than 50 years? Brainstorm a few possibilities.

• Step 2:

  Use the following clips to provide students with context for the history of federal segregation policies from the 1930s-1950s. A review of the Great Depression, New Deal, and post-WWII era may be needed.

  Handout: Federal Housing Segregation (Google Doc)

  Video Clip 1: Intro to Urban Poverty & “White Flight” (4:06)

  Video Clip 2: History of Federal Programs & Racism (2:40)

  Video Clip 3: The New Deal & Creation of Public Housing (2:50)

  Video Clip 4: The Federal Housing Admin. (0:58)

  Video Clip 5: The Policy of Redlining (1:02)

• Step 3 - Reflective Writing/Class Discussion:

  In the following clip, Richard Rothstein argues that the federal government has a constitutional responsibility to address the issues of segregation, even positing the use of federal funds to desegregate neighborhoods through radical housing subsidies. What are the potential consequences (both positive and negative) for such actions?

  Rothstein also challenges the historical narrative of housing segregation, calling it a “myth” still taught in high school textbooks. How does this comment relate to your own experiences on the subject? Does the use of the term “de facto” to describe the history of state-sanctioned segregation restrict people’s ability to combat the issue? Explain.

  Video Clip: Remedies and Myths (3:00)

• Step 4 - Reflective Writing/Class Discussion:

  In the following clip, Sherrilyn Ifill challenges the audience to engage the issue of ending modern segregation in the US. What steps are needed to actually bring resolution to the topic? How much is dependent on individuals within the community versus a large federal initiative? Explain.

  Video Clip: The Call to Combat Modern Segregation (4:48)

• Extension Activities:

  • What has been the impact of segregation on other issues in the US, specifically voting rights and gerrymandering? Consider the Supreme Court decision from spring 2017 that struck down the legality of two gerrymandered districts due to racial bias, and how segregation may lead to other systemic issues in contemporary America.

  • In 2007 ruling of Parents v. Seattle , Chief Justice John Roberts stated in a majority opinion that since segregation as it exists today “is a product not of state action but of private choices, it does not have constitutional implications.” Construct a debate or persuasive essay for students to defend or refute this statement.

  • There have been a few plays that have dealt with the history of this subject in the last 50 years. Consider having students read full or excerpted titles such as A Raisin in the Sun or Clybourne Park about the human cost of housing segregation. Students can also write an original script or monologue that addresses the issue from a personal point of view.

  • Trace the role of the presidency and public policy from the time of FDR through the present. Identify the ways in which each administration has contributed to, or worked against, the lingering segregation in America.