WSU marks Black History Month with exhibits, more

ajc.com

Exhibits designed to deepen understanding of the impact of redlining, the historic discriminatory practice of denying creditworthy applicants housing loans in neighborhoods often populated by minority residents, is on display at Wright State University.

It’s part of Black History Month, whichalso features faculty lectures on how redlining relates to history, the law, segregation, Black feminist activism and Black women’s health equity.

Undesign the Redline,” which is on display on the second floor of Dunbar Library, features high-touch interactive physical spaces that create tangible educational opportunities. Interactive components at each station enable visitors to better understand the content and contribute knowledge.

Exhibits include an introduction to redlining, explaining how explicit Jim Crow-era racism was designed into structural racism from the New Deal era until today; localized redlining maps for 239 different U.S. cities and populated areas; a timeline of policies, practices and investments as well as responses to their effects from 1800 to today; stories that humanize redlining; and an exploration of alternative models and processes to redlining.

“Redlining” maps, which were introduced in the 1930s, featured red lines drawn around neighborhoods to signify “risk areas” for federal backing of newly invented homeownership programs.

More information on “Undesign the Redline” is available at wright.edu/redline.

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