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Institutional Discrimination: The Case of Redlining

12/12/2012

8 Comments

 
PictureA 1936 Home Owners' Loan Corp. security map of Philadelphia
Tags: inequality, prejudice/discrimination, race/ethnicity, rural/urban, affirmative action, housing discrimination, institutional discrimination, racial steering, racism, redlining, stratification, subtitles/CC, 06 to 10 mins
Length: 6:05; 3:27
Year: 2003; 2010
Access: YouTube (clip 1; clip 2)

Summary: Institutional discrimination occurs where the practices and policies of an institution systematically benefit one group at the expense of another. The concept relies on the insight that individuals act and make decisions within an institutional context, and that even where explicit racism is difficult to identify, the rules, norms, and common sense associated with institutions may lead individuals—even well-meaning ones—to systematically deny opportunities and equal rights to minorities. When trying to explain the topic of institutional racism, it is useful to recall the history of redlining in the United States, which refers to the practice of appraising real estate differently based on the racial makeup of the communities within which the real estate sits. The first clip above comes from the documentary, Race: The Power of an Illusion, and features a concise explanation of the practice. Sociologist Melvin Oliver explains that "those communities that were all white, suburban, and far away from minority areas, they received the highest rating (from federal investigators of the National Appraisal System), and that was the color green. Those communities that were all minority, or in the process of changing, they got the lowest rating and the color red. They were redlined." Redlining is a form of institutional discrimination because the institutional mechanism of differentially valuing property based on race actually patterns the way individuals act. In other words, whites come to perceive a financial interest in keeping people of color out of predominantly white neighborhoods, and with the reasonable assumption that white neighbors may not be welcoming, people of color may avoid looking for homes in white neighborhoods from the very start. In yet another example of the way institutions pattern discriminatory behavior, real estate agents have been observed steering African American couples from white neighborhoods, as is dramatized in the second clip posted above. Thus to a naïve observer who imagines discrimination and racism to simply be a matter of individual grievances and irrational choices, it may appear that people have simply chosen to live among others of the same race, but in fact, this self-segregating behavior is the result of an institutional context. (Note that this is the second post on The Sociological Cinema that features a clip from Race: The Power of an Illusion).

Submitted By: Lester Andrist

8 Comments
Cheryl Simpkins link
3/24/2013 10:06:51 am

Learning so very much always knew something wasn't right and now I can put my figure on it!

Reply
Kathy Carlson
5/21/2014 05:19:33 am

I think this is a simplistic view, making sweeping generalizations based on race without including any other factors. It is a skin-deep analysis.

Reply
Maegan Parrott
6/30/2014 09:45:35 pm

Redlining is about race. Redlining was created as a result of skin deep discriminatory ideologies. therefore- this is a skin-deep generalization that is accurate.

Reply
Cody Douglass
7/17/2016 10:15:26 pm

Interesting how there was no mention to any other variables that play into evaluating the value of property. The urban black areas received a lower appraisal, therefore, institutionalized racism..

Reply
Lessie Branch
10/11/2017 06:19:22 am

What's interesting too is that once those racialized, devalued neighborhoods become the next up and coming place to live, and racial minorities are priced out, property values soar.

Reply
Charles Crisler
10/4/2017 09:24:34 pm

While the "redline" districts may refer to the possibility of race, I feel it is more socioeconomically based. Because these districts also consider the ability for a person's ability to be able to afford the proper clothes for the job like a suit, Have a car that looks nice for the clients or count on to get person to work. Education that reflects the use of intellectual language expected in the workplace or when facing a customer.

Reply
john klyn
11/28/2017 07:35:52 am

sup

Reply
Blaine F link
5/22/2022 07:28:35 pm

Thanks ffor posting this

Reply



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