Redlining and its Legacy with Preston Allen

reClaimed

In this episode of Redlining & White Noise, we get to the topic of Redlining. Charles Rotramel and Gregg Taylor meet with Preston Allen, Director for Community Development at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, located in the Third Ward of Houston. We talk about what redlining is and--beginning in the early part of the 20th Century--how the U.S. government, through redlining policy, intentionally and systematically segregated African American neighborhoods to limit wealth-building opportunities. We also discuss the current ramifications of the federal government’s complicity in this institutional practice of racialized otherization and stripping of wealth.

Rev. Preston Allen is Director for Non-Profits and Community Development at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston's Third Ward. He is a leader in criminal justice reform efforts.

For further reading:

Resource articles about the history and practice of redlining:

A Forgotten History of How the U.S. Government Segregated America

Redlining’s Enduring Legacy

We reference Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, We Were Eight Years in Power, particularly chapter six, “The Case for Reparations.” You can find his book here.