Author to discuss how black homeownership undermined by discriminatory real estate, banking tactics

National Book Award-nominated author Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor will discuss her book, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership,” at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Social Justice Initiative.

WHEN:
Oct. 30
6 – 7:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Student Center East
750 S. Halsted St., Room 302

DETAILS:

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor will talk about her book, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership,” during a conversation with Elizabeth Todd-Breland, UIC associate professor of history and author of “A Political Education: Black Politics and Education Reform in Post-Civil Rights Chicago.”

Taylor, assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton University, writes and speaks on politics, social movements, and racial inequality in the U.S.

Her book, which is longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for nonfiction, looks at how by the late 1960s and 1970s politicians had to deal with pushback from urban communities over redlining and other long-established discriminatory practices. As a result, the Housing and Urban Development Act was passed in 1968 to push mortgage lenders and the real estate community to treat black homebuyers equally. But, the book looks at how after the creation of HUD, racist exclusion had not been wiped out. Instead it produced a system of “predatory inclusion” and new policies meant to encourage low-income homeownership created new methods to exploit black homeowners.

Serving as event moderator is UIC’s Todd-Breland, whose research and teaching focuses on 20th century U.S. urban and social history, African American history and the history of education. Her work also explores interdisciplinary issues related to racial and economic inequality, urban policy, neighborhood transformation, education policy, and civic engagement.

The event is sponsored by UIC’s Social Justice Initiative, or SJI, which is a campus program that aims to build on socially conscious research and interests across different disciplines, improve connections with community partners and serve students interested in social justice work.

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s discussion continues SJI’s theme, “Home,” for the 2019-2020 school year. The group will tackle topics such as, “What does it mean when a prison cell is supposed to substitute for a home?” This topic is especially important as 2 million people in the U.S., including migrant families, are currently in detention.

Last month, the initiative held a discussion with Angola 3 prisoner, Albert Woodfox whose book “Solitary” focused on his more than 40 years in solitary confinement and is a finalist for the National Book Award for nonfiction.

The Oct. 30 event is free, but registration is required here.