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DAY 10: NO PLACE LIKE HOME

In the U.S., where you live impacts how you live. In some cases, it determines whether you live at all. Place is such a critical piece of the Black experience in the U.S. The residential and migration patterns we observe today were set in motion a long, long time ago… and this is true for many demographic groups in the U.S.

For example, we know that redlining was a discriminatory, government-sanctioned practice that forced physical segregation by selectively approving or denying loans to people seeking to live in different neighborhoods around the country. By categorizing the neighborhoods based on their desirability, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) decided who could live where and how much money it would take.

Let’s look more closely at the criteria they used to determine the “desirability” of a neighborhood. Because the internet is a magical place, the original HOLC maps are available for your browsing pleasure. There were no formal maps for Vermont at the time (this was circa 1939), but let’s look at two areas nearby:

HOLC redlining map of Manchester, NH

The map above is of Manchester, New Hampshire. Here, the HOLC downgraded the area labeled D6 to the lowest desirability rating because of “Belgians.” No, they didn’t give any other explanation—just Belgians. Yes, really.

Let’s look at another:

HOLC redlining map of the area in and around Boston, MA

In the map above, the HOLC has downgraded the area labeled B8 because of “threatening Jewish infiltration into area.” It goes on further to downgrade the area labeled D7 to the lowest desirability rating because the “Area becomes less desirable north of Dover St. with Orientals concentrated in this spot.”

The housing and home finance decisions that were made based on these maps have had lasting impact—if you take one of these redlined maps and overlay a map of present-day inequities, they will “light up” in the same spots because there is a direct causal relationship between neighborhood segregation and disparities in health, criminal justice, education, and more.

Redlining has a complex and monumental impact on everyone in the U.S. today. It is important to note that just because a place may not have had formal HOLC redlined maps (like Vermont) doesn’t mean there weren’t explicit forms of housing discrimination being enforced in those areas. For example, see this excerpt of a restrictive land covenant prohibiting the sale of a piece of land to certain people:

Restrictive deed for a property in South Burlington, VT

This deed is for a property in South Burlington, VT that contains a provision that reads "No persons of any race other than the white race shall use or occupy any building or any lot, except that this covenant shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of a different race domiciled with an owner or tenant." This is one example of how redlining and segregation were practiced and legally enforced through various forms and institutions. We note that in 2022, the State of Vermont passed Act 143, which prohibits racially and religiously restrictive covenants in deeds and renders any existing ones void. Learn more about the law here: Act 143 of 2022

The Human Rights Commission will be holding a series of community fora all across Vermont to discuss housing, including housing discrimination and your rights under federal and state housing laws. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information about these fora.

The answer is A. In the U.S., social studies education tends to focus on one region of the world in each year of secondary education. Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the full picture of what was happening in history and how global events influenced each other. This is one example: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born the same year as Anne Frank, yet we don’t see them as age contemporaries. Several factors influence this: First, Anne Frank tragically did not survive to adulthood, so we only ever think of her as a young girl. By contrast, Dr. King is most widely known for the work he did as an adult (and by the way, he was still in his thirties when he was serving as the face of a national movement, and did not make it to see 40). Another factor that influences the way we see age contemporaries is what media portrayals are available to us. Barbara Walters was also born the same year, but we are accustomed to seeing images and video of her in color, whereas Anne Frank and Dr. King almost always appear in black & white. For more exploration of this phenomenon, see here, including the technological point about how photo film was calibrated to flatter White skin: “Fact-check: Most Civil Rights-era images weren’t made in color”

Speaking of tech, stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pop Quiz question about early tech giants from the Black community…

TONIGHT 2/10 & 2/17 – Black Artist Showcase

What: A space to share poetry and build community, featuring Black creatives.

Logistics: This event is being held twice: [1] On Friday Feb 10th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Venetian Soda Lounge, located at 266 Pine St. Suite #122 in Burlington. [2] On Friday Feb 17th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Kru Coffee, located at 2 Church Street in Burlington.

2/11 – Human Family Potluck & Black OurStory Month

What: A potluck with poetry and art projects for all ages. Live performance by Daniel Laurent, award-winning filmmaker and hip-hop musician.

Logistics: This event is being held on Saturday Feb 11th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, located at 130 Main St. in Montpelier. Entrance fee is a sliding scale by donation. “Bring your grandmother’s foods.”

Now through 2/12 – “Bov Water” play at Northern Stage

What: A running production of a new play in which “four generations of Black women breathe and bathe in a past that’s both intentionally and accidentally forgotten. Challenging and discovering their own narratives from the Civil War to the 1960s to modern-day America, these strong and inquisitive souls wrestle to unearth a family’s past and build resilience for the future.”

Logistics: This play is running until Feb 12th. Performances are at the Barrette Center for the Arts, located at 74 Gates St. in White River Junction. Learn more here: Bov Water

2/16 – “Soul Food: Honoring Black Voices in Music”

What: A late-night musical experience that “honors Black music of yesterday and today.”

Logistics: This free event is being held on Feb 16th from 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. at Club Metronome, located at 188 Main St. in Burlington. Learn more here: Soul Food

2/25 – The Black Experience

What: This free event will feature discussions and panels with local artists and speakers, and a keynote presentation by iconic activist and scholar Dr. Angela Davis. There will also be a performance by the Philadanco dance company.

Logistics: This free event is being held on Saturday Feb 25th at 5:00 p.m. at The Flynn, located at 153 Main Street in Burlington. Learn more here: The Black Experience 2023

This Week’s Raffle

Each week, we will draw 5 names from the list of those who signed up for this e-mail series. We hope you win (yes, you!). The drawings are random; we use the True Random Number Service, which will pick 5 numbers each week from the sign-up list. You don’t need to do anything from here—we’ll e-mail you if you’re a lucky winner.

This is an installment in the State of Vermont’s 28-day Black History Month e-mail series, offered by the Vermont Human Rights Commission and the Vermont Office of Racial Equity. The Human Rights Commission protects people from unlawful discrimination in housing, state government employment, and public accommodations. Learn more about the HRC here. The Office of Racial Equity provides guidance and oversight to identify and mitigate systemic racism in state government. Learn more about the ORE here. Did you receive this e-mail from a friend? Want to sign yourself up for the remainder of the month? Subscribe to this list here.