Exploring the Racial Wealth Gap: The Contributions of Redlining and Blockbusting

Join the Chicago Fed Economic Mobility Project’s virtual event, Exploring the Racial Wealth Gap: The Contributions of Redlining and Blockbusting, on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm CT (2:00 pm to 3:30 pm ET), when we will explore the disparate impacts of redlining and blockbusting on the current state of racial wealth inequality.

Event details

Black people in the United States have, on average, lower earnings, higher unemployment rates, lower rates of homeownership, and less access to traditional banking services—all factors that contribute to economic disparities between their households and White households. Racially discriminatory housing practices, including redlining and blockbusting, contributed to unequal homeownership rates between Black and White Americans in the twentieth century, with the effects still being felt today. Considering the importance of homeownership in building wealth, we will illustrate how these practices have contributed to the racial wealth gap.

The event will include the following:

Overview of the Racial Wealth Gap and Contributing Factors
Kristen Broady, senior economist, economic advisor and Director of the Economic Mobility Project, Chicago Fed

The Effects of Redlining Maps on the Long-Run Trajectories of Neighborhoods
Daniel Aaronson, Senior Vice President and Associate Director of Research, Chicago Fed

Blockbusting and the Challenges Faced by Black Families in Building Wealth Through Housing in the Postwar United States
Daniel Hartley, Senior Economist, Chicago Fed

Panel Discussion: Factors Contributing to the Racial Wealth Gap
Moderator: Natalie Y. Moore, Journalist
Andre M. Perry, Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro and scholar-in-residence at American University.

Presented by