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HOUSING
Why We Can't Ignore Racism of Gated Communities and HOAs
Under the facade of race-neutral suburbia, racism persists
Although the civil rights movement dismantled the nation's formal system of racial discrimination, the shell of white supremacy remains intact. America is stubbornly segregated by race and class. As authors Richard and Lea Rothstein wrote, "policies of enforced segregation in the twentieth century were so powerful that they continue to influence and often determine today's racial boundaries." While open hostility toward Black people and other racial minorities is no longer socially acceptable, there was a time when Americans said the quiet part out loud.
Consider, for instance, an advertisement for Lexington Real Estate in 1908, for a 5-room "brand new residence," № 640 on Euclid Avenue. Among other amenities, such as "hot and cold water, gas," was a rather racist statement, that read — "No Negros can buy property in this subdivision." This wasn't an off-the-cuff account made through casual observation, but a verifiable fact. You see, their claim referenced the community's racially restrictive covenant that prohibited Black people from buying or inhabiting homes in that area. This was one of the many strategies employed to maintain racially segregated communities.
