On Redlining
Linda Costarella
It is important for me to emphasize what efforts were made to keep people of color living within specific areas so as not to have them be able to move wherever they wanted. This racist movement was predicated on the lie that people of color would bring down the housing prices wherever they moved. Consequently, the people ended up unable to move up or out into neighborhoods that were given more opportunities for growth and fewer scam artists forcing them into even worse situations.
Two major results of this red-lining were the development of food deserts and the placement of toxic waste locations near the redlined areas. Both factors result in poor health for these individuals. The nutrition class focuses on adding more fresh fruits and vegetables into the diet and eating fewer processed foods. Both factors would contribute to better health and are difficult to achieve in a food desert. Added to exposure to toxic wastes, these individuals will have much greater risk factors for poor health.
I hope to get this point across to my students using articles and videos for discussion and to be included in their development of potential remedies for the food desert issue.
Recommended Resources