Essay Example on Racial Segregation

Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial groups in daily life. While many people believe segregation ended with the Civil Rights Act in 1964, this is not the case for various residential communities in the United States. 

Rothstein argues that the government is responsible for the residential segregation present in the United States today (2019). More specifically, the Public Works Administration is responsible. The Public Works Administration took integrated communities and segregated them. For example, Rothstein notes that even Atlanta, Georgia, had integrated neighborhoods, but the Public Works Administration built a whites-only project, displacing African Americans (2019). African Americans then had to double up with relatives or find less adequate housing elsewhere, beginning a vicious cycle (Rothstein 2019). Moreover, the homes sold only to whites appreciated, allowing them to obtain wealth. In comparison, by federal policy, African Americans were excluded from receiving said homes. As a result, African Americans had no choice but to rent in areas depreciating, giving them no chance to gain the same wealth as whites (Rothstein 2019). This wealth allowed whites to afford better education for their families, giving them another advantage over African Americans. With better education comes better, more high-paying jobs. Since African Americans didn't have the resources to afford higher education, they had little chance of earning quality jobs. In return, this worsened the wealth gap between African Americans and whites, so much so that it still exists today. 

Without said wealth, or at least the opportunity for wealth, it is next to impossible for African Americans to leave these declining residential areas. As a result, their health is significantly affected. For instance, African American children in urban areas are four times more likely than white middle-class children to have asthma due to poor environmental conditions in low-income areas (Rothstein 2019). In addition, many low-income areas are neglected. No company is willing to invest money into these areas because they feel it isn't profitable. As a result, these areas lack access to quality health care and quality food. Low-income areas can often be described as food swamps, meaning there is an overabundance of fast-food restaurants. Families in these communities will often turn to fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds, to feed their families for a low price. This is responsible for increased rates of not only diabetes but obesity as well in low-income areas.