As this month marks the 70th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott the new book “Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America” challenges us to address the economic plunders still shaping black homeownership today.
“Plundered” by Bernadette Atuahene is a fresh and revealing look at how economic and racial exploitation have been sewn into the fabric of our laws inviting implicitly from well-meaning people while eviscerating communities and widening the racial wealth gap.
At the heart of the book are the stories of two Detroit families, one black the other white, who despite landing similar opportunities working for Ford Motor Company at the turn of the century have diverged with racist policies pushing the black family to property tax foreclosure while the white family has flourished. Yet, these practices are no way limited to the city of Detroit. Atuahene tells us how we can get here and maps the continued impact of historic policies and practices.
