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FDR led America out of the Great Depression and through World War II, but many of his policies systematically discriminated against Black & Brown people.
We must learn from our past to avoid repeating it. 1/
We must learn from our past to avoid repeating it. 1/
The Social Security Act initially excluded domestic & Ag workers—jobs overwhelmingly held by African-Americans—from eligibility. This left 65% of Black workers without retirement benefits. 2/
Segregationists won this concession by withholding support for the bill. Deal-making for the sake of political expediency cut millions of Black workers out of retirement security for yrs. Governing involves compromises, but we need to remember who we keep compromising against. 3/
The National Housing Act set up @FHAgov, which refused to insure mortgages around Black neighborhoods. FHA used highways to separate Black areas from white ones, and ensured white-owned properties would still be owned by other whites 4/
Redlining continued until the 1960’s & is still aggravating the growing racial wealth gap today. This must be tackled in the next New Deal. 5/ https://www.businessinsider.com/how-redlining-kept-black-americans-from-homeownership-and-still-does-2020-6
The 1st GI bill passed in 1944, giving unprecedented housing & educational benefits to veterans. But those same segregationists fought for local administration of the bill’s program so they could discriminate against 1.2 million Black WWII vets. 6/
Black service-members were denied honorable discharge, faced intimidation + barriers from vocational schools, preventing them from using the tuition benefits that launched many white veterans into the middle class. If banks won’t lend you the mortgage, how can you buy a home? 7/
Policy must be antiracist. But so much the institutions and civil servants that implement them.
In 2021, we must do more and do better for Black communities. Otherwise we risk repeating the cycle of mistrust and deception that landed us here in the first place. 8/8
In 2021, we must do more and do better for Black communities. Otherwise we risk repeating the cycle of mistrust and deception that landed us here in the first place. 8/8
