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Leah and Richard Rothstein on “Just Action”

Tune in and watch he Rothsteins discuss residential segregation and how cities can become more equitable places for their residents.

September 6, 2023

When Richard Rothstein wrote “The Color of Law,” he took a thorough look at how residential segregation was created by racially explicit and unconstitutional government policy at all levels. Because of those actions, racial segregation characterizes every metropolitan area in the U.S. and bears responsibility for our most serious social and economic problems.

Now, Rothstein brings us “Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law,” a follow up co-authored with housing policy expert Leah Rothstein. This latest offering describes how we can begin to address segregation, providing dozens of strategies local groups can pursue to redress segregation in their own communities. By starting with achievable local victories, we can build a national movement that can remedy our unconstitutional racial landscape.

During the webinar, the Rothsteins will discuss how local groups can learn about their region's history and pursue policies and strategies to improve resources in lower-income segregated areas, open up exclusive suburban neighborhoods to diversity, and improve housing opportunities everywhere. They will also provide examples of actions that can be taken, such as protecting renters from unjust evictions and discriminatory property tax assessments, advocating for increased bank investments in underserved areas, and building housing for moderate-income families. This is a great opportunity to learn more about residential segregation in America and what can be done to challenge it.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Next City’s editorial director, Deonna Anderson.

Register now and mark your calendar!

Moderator:

Deonna Anderson is Next City's editorial director. An award-winning journalist, she has served as a senior editor GreenBiz and worked with YES! Magazine, KLCC (an NPR affiliate station in Eugene, Oregon), The Lily, Atmos and other media outlets. Anderson is an alumna of the University of California, Davis and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She lives in the Bay Area. She was also Next City's 2017-2018 Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow. Follow her on Twitter @iamDEONNA.

Speakers:

Leah Rothstein is co-author, with Richard Rothstein, of “Just Action,” a sequel to “The Color of Law.”

Ms. Rothstein has worked on public policy and community change, from the grassroots to the halls of government. She has led the Alameda and San Francisco probation departments’ research on reforming community corrections policy and practice to be focused on rehabilitation, not punishment.

She has been a consultant to nonprofit housing developers, cities and counties, redevelopment agencies, and private firms on community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance. Her policy work is informed by her years as a labor and community organizer, working on issues such as housing, environmental justice, workplace safety, and youth leadership.

Richard Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute and a Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He lives in California, where is a Fellow of the Haas Institute at the University of California–Berkeley.