Category: Uncategorized

I chose to do my literature search on the topic of “racial segregation.” The first source I chose was a paperback book called, The Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Passage of the Law That Ended Racial Segregation (Loevy). I chose this particular source, because I thought it seemed interesting. Additionally, I found the cover to be quite comedic and entertaining. Lastly, the material in the book appears to have a lot of information that could broaden my understanding of the course material in the class.

The second source I picked out for this particular assignment is a DVD called, “In the Land of Jim Crow: Growing Up Segregate” (Phoenix Learning Group, Inc., 2008). I picked this source, because I really love to watch movies and it would provide me with great insight into the lives of those marginalized from society prior to the numerous reformations in housing policies (more importantly, to see which living conditions still exist).

The third source is an article entitled, “Mapping Racial Segregation in New York City” from “New York Magazine” (Tiku). I chose this source, because we have studied numerous maps of Connecticut in this class. Additionally, I thought it would be interesting to see how the trends of racial segregation compare between the two states (Connecticut and New York). Maps are an imperative component in discovering the truth about certain regions and districts. Nothing quite like a visual!

The fourth source is featured on the opinion pages of the online edition of the “New York Times.” The story is called, “Is Segregation Back in the U.S. Public Schools?” (“Is Segregation Back in U.S. Public Schools? – Room for Debate”). I chose this particular source, because I thought it fit in quite well with the material we are learning in class. Not only does it discuss racial segregation, however, it discusses the public educational systems of America (a topic which is under great debate in our classroom).

The fifth source is a segment entitled “Ordinance for Race Segregation in Baltimore,” which was abstracted from the Hartford Courant (“Ordinance For Race Segregation In Baltimore”). I chose it, because it is highly beneficial for research to get actual historical accounts. Additionally, there are a lot of similarities between Baltimore and Hartford; it would be interesting to explore the similarities and differences in terms of their racial segregation policies back in the early 1900’s between these two cities. The sixth source, which was also abstracted from the Hartford Courant, is “Negro Segregation Law Enjoined” (“Negro Segregation Law Enjoined: District Judge Grants Injunction Against St. Louis Ordinance”). I chose this source, because I thought it would be fascinating to see a historical account on a particular case in court (especially considering that the trial occurred in a southern court house).

The last source was abstracted from “Britannica Online Encyclopedia” (“Racial Segregation”). I chose this source, because it was a definition of “racial segregation.” Additionally, Encyclopedia Britannica is a very reliable source.

 

WORKS CITED

In the Land of Jim Crow: Growing Up Segregated. Phoenix Learning Group, Inc., 2008. Film.

“Is Segregation Back in U.S. Public Schools? – Room for Debate.” The New York Times. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

Loevy, Robert D., ed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Passage of the Law That Ended Racial Segregation. State University of New York Press, 1997. Print.

“Negro Segregation Law Enjoined: District Judge Grants Injunction Against St. Louis Ordinance.” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922) 18 Apr. 1916 : 17. Print.

“Ordinance For Race Segregation In Baltimore.” The Hartford Courant (1887-1922) 26 Sept. 1913 : 1. Print.

“Racial Segregation — Britannica Online Encyclopedia.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

Tiku, Nitasha. “Mapping Racial Segregation in New York City.” Daily Intel. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

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I started my search for sources on www.courant.com to look for a Hartford-related news article on the web. After trying a couple of keywords, I finally found one that interested me. I chose “In Hartford, A Map To A Better Way Of Life” (Kovner 2012) because it was relevant to the topic I wanted to delve into. The article discusses the conditions of Hartford’s neighborhoods as well as how, and what, people in governmental positions are doing to fix it. I like the article because it pertained to the concept of opportunity and opportunity mapping. The article also points out where opportunity is lacking within these neighborhoods.

My second source I acquired from doing a search on www.amazon.com. After sampling a few introductions to various books, I found one I particularly liked: Children in the City: Home Neighbourhood and Community (Christensen and O’Brian 2002). The book addresses the life of children in modern cities and how growing up in a city is made unique by this experience. Learning about life in a city relates to opportunity mapping as well. It addresses the advantages and disadvantages for children living in a city like Hartford.

A Google search brought me to my next source. Neighborhoods of Hartford, CT (O’Maxfield 2001) provides a great map of the neighborhoods in Hartford. In addition, each neighborhood has a link to its own webpage with pictures and history about the neighborhood. The website is useful because it provides background knowledge for someone who wishes to compare Hartford’s neighborhoods.

My final source is an article from EBSCOhost. Searching for scholarly articles with the keywords “Connecticut” and “neighborhoods,” I found an article entitled “Neighborhood Diversity, Metropolitan Constraints, and Household Migration” (Crowder et al. 2012). The scholarly article addresses a topic similar to that of the previous three sources I acquired. Interest in learning more about the opportunities found in urban neighborhoods, I thought the article useful because it addresses these topics.

 

Works Cited

Christensen, Pia, and Margaret O’Brien, eds. Children in the City: Home Neighbourhood and Community. 1st ed. Routledge, 2002. Print.

Crowder, Kyle1, Jeremy2 Pais, and Scott J.3 South. “Neighborhood Diversity, Metropolitan Constraints, and Household Migration.” American Sociological Review 77.3 (2012): 325–353. eft. Web.

Kovner, Josh. “In Hartford, A Map To A Better Way Of Life.” Courant.com. 30 May 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

O’ Maxfield, Karen. “The Neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut.” 2001. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.

I started my search for sources on www.courant.com to look for a Hartford-related news article on the web. After trying a couple of keywords, I finally found one that interested me. I chose “In Hartford, A Map To A Better Way Of Life” (Kovner 2012) because it was relevant to the topic I wanted to delve into. The article discusses the conditions of Hartford’s neighborhoods as well as how, and what, people in governmental positions are doing to fix it. I like the article because it pertained to the concept of opportunity and opportunity mapping. The article also points out where opportunity is lacking within these neighborhoods.

My second source I acquired from doing a search on www.amazon.com. After sampling a few introductions to various books, I found one I particularly liked: Children in the City: Home Neighbourhood and Community (Christensen and O’Brian 2002). The book addresses the life of children in modern cities and how growing up in a city is made unique by this experience. Learning about life in a city relates to opportunity mapping as well. It addresses the advantages and disadvantages for children living in a city like Hartford.

A Google search brought me to my next source. Neighborhoods of Hartford, CT (O’Maxfield 2001) provides a great map of the neighborhoods in Hartford. In addition, each neighborhood has a link to its own webpage with pictures and history about the neighborhood. The website is useful because it provides background knowledge for someone who wishes to compare Hartford’s neighborhoods.

My final source is an article from EBSCOhost. Searching for scholarly articles with the keywords “Connecticut” and “neighborhoods,” I found an article entitled “Neighborhood Diversity, Metropolitan Constraints, and Household Migration” (Crowder et al. 2012). The scholarly article addresses a topic similar to that of the previous three sources I acquired. Interest in learning more about the opportunities found in urban neighborhoods, I thought the article useful because it addresses these topics.

 

Works Cited

Christensen, Pia, and Margaret O’Brien, eds. Children in the City: Home Neighbourhood and Community. 1st ed. Routledge, 2002. Print.

Crowder, Kyle1, Jeremy2 Pais, and Scott J.3 South. “Neighborhood Diversity, Metropolitan Constraints, and Household Migration.” American Sociological Review 77.3 (2012): 325–353. eft. Web.

Kovner, Josh. “In Hartford, A Map To A Better Way Of Life.” Courant.com. 30 May 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

O’ Maxfield, Karen. “The Neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut.” 2001. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.

When searching for sources to assist in furthering my understanding of housing barriers, both past and present in the U.S., I came upon multiple inquiries of interest. Most, but not all, of my findings involve the government’s influence on housing barriers. The first source I selected for closer review is a book entitled “Not In My Back Yard:” Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing (Advisory Commision on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing). This piece of literature is of particular interest to me because it was published on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by an Advisory Committee of Fair Housing under President George W. Bush. I’m excited to explore the government’s perspective and proposed initiatives to the ongoing affordable housing crisis and compare the proposed suggestions with the actual outcomes at work today.

The second source I selected is a journal article by Social Forces detailing the current diversity in particular neighborhoods and how this came to be (Defina and Hannon). This article will be useful due to its scientific evidentiary findings that will hopefully ground theories and analyses in concrete fact.

An additional publication I want to review in depth is an article published by the Hartford Courant that expands on a recent Supreme Court decision to aid citizens in defense of discriminatory insurance policies (MacDonald). More information regarding government involvement in affordable housing outcomes will supply me with stronger evidence to support my thesis.

Finally, I selected a NFHA press release detailing housing discrimination in regards to bank owned properties (National Fair Housing Alliance). I’m interested to read this publication to gain a better understanding of what role banks play in housing discrimination. Ultimately, all of these sources mentioned reflect some type of government influence on today’s housing barriers, whether they denote positive or negative actions and subsequent repercussions.

Works Cited

Advisory Commision on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. “Not In My Back Yard” Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1991.

DeFina, Robert, and Hannon, Lance. “Diversity, Racial Threat and Metropolitan Housing Segregation.” Social Forces (2009): n. pag.

MacDonald, John A. “Insurers Lose Bid To Have States Handle Some Bias Matters.” Hartford Courant. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

National Fair Housing Alliance. “The Banks Are Back- Our Neighborhoods Are Not: Discrimination in the Maintenance and Marketing of REO Properties.” 2012

In order to get started on my research for Essay 1, I decided to look for sources that will help with my writing. The first is “Urban Space, Restrictive Covenants and the Origins of Racial Residential Segregation in a US City, 1900-50” (Gotham, 2012). I chose this because it will be important to give historical information on the roots of racial segregation in relation to restrictive covenants in US cities. I plan on relating this information to what we have learned in class about Hartford.

The second source I found is an article titled “Uncertain Neighborhood Effects and Restrictive Covenants” (Hughes and Turnbull, 2012). I chose this article, from a book, because it will be helpful to understand the neighborhood effects of restrictive covenants in cities besides Hartford.

The third source I found is titled “A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining” and was published in the BusinessWeek magazine (Benson, 2011). I chose this because it shows that some cities are still experiencing the effects of redlining. The article speaks about how neighborhood members banded together in order to fight the authority, which will be interesting to read.

My last source is from the Encyclopedia of Chicago website, and it is simply a definition of the term “blockbusting” (Hirsch, 2012). We learned about this term in class but I plan to write about it in Essay 1 so it is important that I get more background information before writing.

 

WORKS CITED:

Benson, Clea. “A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining.” BusinessWeek: magazine 5 May 2011.     Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

Gotham, Kevin Fox. “Urban Space, Restrictive Covenants and the Origins of Racial Residential     Segregation in a US City, 1900–50.” International Journal of Urban and Regional     Research 24.3 (2000): 616–633. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

Hirsch, Arnold R. “Blockbusting.” Encyclopedia of Chicago 2005. Web. 21 Sept. 2012,     http://    encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/147.html.

Hughes, Jr., and Geoffrey K. Turnbull. “Uncertain Neighborhood Effects and Restrictive     Covenants.” Journal of Urban Economics 39.2 (1996): 160–172. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.