When looking at where the Black sides are, we could start by considering where they are not.
FHA and VA loans are credited with helping form the middle class of America by making homeownership available to a large portion of the population. Large housing complexes were developed, beginning with Levittown in Long Island, NY. Similar complexes sprung up in many major cities with one thing in common. No homes could be sold to Black people, with the federal government fully backing redlining, which made segregated housing the rule and not the exception. Black sides of town evolved where the whites elected not to go. There were housing complexes created for Black and Jewish people as well; these “projects” were definitely not intended for the middle class.
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