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Health Policy Response Paper
Ohemaa Boateng
University of Pittsburgh Department of Africana Studies
AFRCNA 1710:African American Health Issues
Dr. Abi Fapohunda, DrPH, MPH,MS
October 20, 2023
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The Monstrous Legacy of Residential Segregation
Residential segregation is a widely common and highly destructive form of
discrimination that has disparaged Black and Brown communities for centuries. The article
“Residential Segregation and Health: History, Harms, and Next Steps” goes on to define it as “a
central dimension of social stratification… and mechanism through which durable categories of
inequality such as race, have been created and maintained” (Arcaya & Steil, 2023). Residential
segregation has prevailed through harmful policies put in place such as redlining, exclusionary
zoning, state-sanctioned White-supremacist violence, and discriminatory housing practices.
These policies have served as a means of maintaining a certain hierarchical social order where
only White people benefited. Residential segregation plays a major role in determining access to
social determinants of health, and Black and minority populations have suffered as a result
(Arcaya & Steil, 2023).
Analyzing “Residential Segregation and Health: History, Harms, and Next Steps”
The article “Residential Segregation and Health: History, Harms, and Next Steps”
thoroughly depicts the appalling conditions that resulted from residential segregation. It served
as another means of control and a way to prevent Black and Brown populations from ever
breaking free of the shackles that is White supremacy. Exclusionary policies such as redlining
have been so effective that their lingering effects still cause disparities to this very day. The Hill
District, a formerly redlined neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania remains largely
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segregated and suffers from disinvestment (Rutan,2017). People from these areas have been
reduced to living in communities that are in close proximity to toxic environmental exposures,
have few resources, and have poor housing conditions, all contributing to the development of
poor health and chronic illness.
This health policy brief holds a large significance as it educates readers on the ugly, racist aspects
of American history that this nation attempts to conceal. Prior to taking this class and reading this
article, I did not understand the impacts of residential segregation. Reading this health policy
brief allowed me to develop an understanding of residential segregation and how it contributes to
health inequity and illness by preventing Black and Brown communities from obtaining access to
vital resources and placing them in neighborhoods that further contributed to their struggle.
Residential segregation is a necessary part of history that must be discussed, as it is still a major
contributing factor to many disparities in Black and Brown communities.
Is It Possible to Undo the Lasting Effects of Residential Segregation?
Residential segregation has left a legacy so grotesque that it is difficult to ever think of a
future where minority populations are not affected by housing discrimination and residential
segregation. However, I do believe that while it is not possible to not completely erase the effects
of residential segregation, it is possible to mitigate them. Our government is painfully aware of
residential segregation and has failed to bring about much action to combat it. I think that the
United States is capable (resource-wise) of undoing the effects of residential segregation yet will
not choose to do so in a large capacity as many people hold the harmful belief that residential
segregation has been beneficial. America is largely White and has benefitted from keeping
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certain people poor while pouring resources into White communities to make them richer. This is
due to the fact that America is a racist, capitalist nation at its core, and poverty feeds capitalism,
making this nation richer. Keeping Black and lower-income communities poor has benefitted
rich White people, which is why the government has been willfully ignorant in terms of working
towards combating housing and residential segregation.
In order to go about mitigating the effects of residential segregation, this nation must first
be thoroughly educated on how detrimental it has been. Our government needs to take
accountability for its role in legislating residential segregation and bolster its efforts to reduce its
effects. This would require a complete dismantling of the housing and community system. The
first step towards this would be the government identifying the most pressing needs of lower-
income communities and deciding how they can best support those neighborhoods. I think this
can be accomplished by government officials going into the low-income communities of every
state to get a sense of what it is like to survive in a neighborhood that is so lacking in resources. I
think it is also important to hear from members of these communities to listen to what they need
as every community is different, and may need different resources.
Typically, the most pressing needs in lower-income communities are a lack of affordable,
clean housing, poor transportation systems, inadequate quality education systems, access to
healthcare/available quality healthcare facilities, and affordable grocery stores. Our government
can begin to prioritize these areas for investment by legislating inclusionary housing policies,
reinforcing anti-discrimination laws, creating grants, and setting aside government funds to
create programs that help better these neighborhoods. Although we do have policies and
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programs that have attempted to reduce the effects of residential segregation such as housing
vouchers and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, they have been “underfunded or
intermittently attempted” (Lens and Steil, 2023). A new approach to residential segregation needs
to be implemented where the voices of community members are at the forefront, and where we
use a multi-factorial approach to create better resources and safer, affordable housing options in
communities that have been largely ignored (Ellen,2019).
Conclusion
Residential segregation has implemented barriers that have created major disparities in a
minority person’s access to healthcare, good education, and other means that provide for a decent
quality of life. It has made a mockery of the livelihood of Black and minority populations and
has dehumanized their existence. The article “Residential Segregation and Health: History,
Harms, and Next Steps'' defines and articulates the effects of residential segregation and how it
largely impacts a person’s quality of life. Although residential segregation has been highly
disruptive and has had shockingly lasting effects, it may be possible to mitigate its effects.
However, in order to do so, there needs to be a complete dismantling of the current housing and
residential living situation, where low-income communities are actually prioritized and where its
members are heard. Not everyone has the same resources to be healthy. It is our duty to fight for
those whose voices are silenced and work to ensure that someday, we are all individually
equipped with adequate resources to live a healthy and prosperous life.
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References
Gould Ellen, I. (2019, January 28). 4 Ways to Tackle Segregated Cities and Why It Matters.
Living Cities
. October 20, 2023,
https://livingcities.org/blog/4-ways-to-tackle-segregated-
cities-and-why-it-matters/
Rutan, D. (2017, February 21).
The Legacies of Redlining in Pittsburgh
. SUDS. October 20,
2023,
https://suds-cmu.org/2017/02/21/the-legacies-of-redlining-in-pittsburgh/
Steil, J., & Arcaya, M. (2023). Residential Segregation and Health: History, harms, and next
steps
. Health Affairs Health Policy Brief.
DOI: 10.1377/hpb20230321.580719
Steil, J., & Lens, M. (2023, April 27). Public policies to address residential segregation and
improve health.
Health Affairs Health Policy Brief. DOI: 10.1377/hpb20230321.466701
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