ULI NWA welcomed New York Times Bestselling author, Richard Rothstein, as he discusses his book The Color of Law, which examines the powerful and disturbing history of how the government deliberately imposed racial segregation on cities nationwide. Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning, public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities, subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs, tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation, and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods.

Rothstein’s book describes key aspects of development’s ugly past and why we need to take a closer look at policies, practices and regulations that work to counter inequality and ensure we are building inclusive communities.

Following Rothstein’s remarks, Dr. James Hawkins, a Licensed Professional Counselor with The Joshua Center, moderated questions from the audience and engaged in conversation with Rothstein on the lasting impact of those policies in our cities today.

For Members-Only access to the full recording, click here.

Below you’ll find the follow-up materials mentioned by Mr. Rothstein during his presentation:

1. Curriculum materials for secondary school students and teachers:
   A free 17-minute animated film, “Segregated by Design.”
   A high school curriculum unit to teach this history. (Free, although teachers using this unit should register to get all the materials needed):
2.  This article illustrates the kind of activity that a local civil rights committee could design to redress segregation in its suburban community.
3. The Poverty and Race Research Action Council will have information about communities that have made some progress to redress segregation.
4. Some attendees wanted more information about the relationship of school-concentrated poverty and housing, and Mr. Rothstein has written many articles on this topic, as well as The Color of Law. That information can be found here.
5. If any attendees would like to be on the announcement list when the National Committee to Redress Racial Segregation (NCRRS) is launched, please sign up at this link.

The Experts

Keynote Speaker: Richard Rothstein , Author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.

Facilitator: Dr. James Hawkins, Licensed Professional Counselor with The Joshua Center 

Presenter: Jeremy Hudson, CEO Specialized Real Estate Group, ULI NWA Chair

This important discussion was made possible by generous support from WACO Title Company.