"Redlining"

In terms of geographical separation, Little Rock’s neighborhoods are more segregated today than they were seventy years ago. In the 1950s and 1960s, through slum clearance and urban renewal projects, the city tore up black areas of residence and relocated African Americans to the east and south of the city. At the same time, predominantly white suburbs sprawled to the north and west. This geographical segregation was aided by the practice of “redlining” by mortgage lenders who refused to grant mortgages to African American families to live in white neighborhoods. In some cities, this was done by quite literally drawing a red line in ink around certain areas that were off limits to African Americans. In others, it was done by more informal means. Both proved effective in creating more segregated cities across the United States. I’m John Kirk, of the UALR History Department, and this has been an Arkansas Moment.