Current Effects of Redlining, and Current Solutions
How does historic redlining still affect us today?
Although redlining is currently illegal and no longer practiced, negative impacts are still felt today, in a variety of different ways. Below are maps that show how and where Sacramento was redlined, and how it has affected these neighborhoods in terms of environment, health, internet, and more.
Sacramento, 1936-1939
In this map of Sacramento from the 1930’s, the areas that are red are the areas deemed “fourth grade,” the lowest grade. This is where the term “redline” came from. Other areas, such as yellow, were “third grade,” while blue was “second grade,” and green was “first grade.”
Source: https://joshbegley.com/redlining/maps/Sacramento-hi.jpg
Sacramento Dempgraphics Map
Here is a map of Sacramento detailing the dempgraphics. When compared to the map above, many of the areas that were deemed higher grade, in the blue and green, are seen in this map currently housing larger amounts of white people. This is no mistake. By deeming certain areas better quality, even though it was almost a century ago, the fate of the people of Sacramento was already determined. This is proof that redlining has caused a problem that still exists today. By blocking off certain areas specifically for people, the future was already determined.
Sacramento Life Expectancy Map
Here, the map shows the life expectancy of different areas of Sacramento. When compared to the redlined Sacramento map, the areas that were blue and green in that map have the higher life expectancy. Clearly, redlining has affected the life expectancy of people depending on the area they live in, which in turn had been determined by the government and real estate corporations decades ago injustly.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/map-neighborhood-life-expectancy-united-states-n979141
Sacramento Fiber Internet Availability
This map of the internet fibers through Sacramento show how the best availability is in the areas, once again, that were marked as first and second grade on the original map of the city showing the redlining.
Source: https://bestneighborhood.org/fiber-tv-and-internet-sacramento-ca/
Ultimately, it is clear that, although not all the maps line up perfectly, there is still a correlation between historic redlining practices and current situations in the city today, mainly affecting areas such as Meadowview, Oak Park, Downtown, and Del Paso in a negative way, while areas like Land Park and East Sacramento are still better off. It is quite obvious that redlining still plays a role on our current society.
In order to move towards a more just and equitable future, we must first know the facts and information. With education, we can think about what type of solutions to make, and to hold those in charge accountable for creating a better civilization while doing our own part to fix this issue.