“Where can a Negro Live? A study of Housing Discrimination in Hartford Part II” is a short article written by Robert Rotberg. This article sheds light on some discriminatory practices that African Americans living in Hartford faced during the 1950s. This article, published on August 20, 1956 by the Hartford Courant shows housing barriers existed and affected affluent African Americans as well as those lower class African Americans. The article describes some of the experiences faced by African American men who were looking to buy or rent a home in a predominantly white neighborhood in Hartford. These men were denied of buying or renting due to redlining, an act that makes it difficult for people living in low income areas (or slums) to move out into a more prestigious neighborhood.
Redlining is not new in Hartford neighborhoods; many real estate agents used redlining to outcast African Americans of all socioeconomic classes. The Hartford Courant, one of Connecticut’s most renowned newspapers, has spoken on the effects of redlining for decades. An article from the Hartford Courant called “Neighborhoods Gain on Redlining” by Neal R. Pierce, further explains the issue of redlining as it pinpoints the very issues that the men in “Where can Negros Live?” face. A second article from the Hartford Courant that explains how African Americans take actions on the barrier set before them is “Negro Group Asks Policy On Housing”. And lastly, part VII of “Where can a Negro Live” by Robert Rotberg explains how African Americans take a proactive stance amidst their struggles with redlining and other housing barriers.
Questions for Seminar:
- It is clear that from the 1950s-1970s redlining was a discriminatory practice many people of color faced, is there still evidence of redlining today?
- How do you think African Americans living in Hartford battled some of these discriminatory practices (not only redlining but blockbusting and zoning as well)?
Works Cited
“Negro Group Asks Policy on Housing.” The Hartford Courant (1923-1987): 4. Nov 30 1940. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2013 .
Peirce, Neal R. “Neighborhoods Gain on Redlining.” The Hartford Courant (1923-1987): 19. Jan 12 1979. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2013 .
Rotberg, Robert. “Where can a Negro Live?” The Hartford Courant (1923-1987): 1. Aug 20 1956. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2013 .
Rotberg, Robert. “Where can a Negro Live?” The Hartford Courant (1923-1987): 16. Aug 25 1956. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2013
Be careful not to confuse redlining (refusing to grant a mortgage or insurance based on the perceived risk of the property’s location) with refusal to sell or rent property based on the race of the buyer.