Why are US cities still so segregated? - Kevin Ehrman-Solberg and Kirsten Delegard

翻译人员: Yuwei Wu 校对人员: Helen Chang

On October 21st, 1909, 125 residents of an affluent Minneapolis neighborhood

1909年10月21日，明尼阿波利斯 一个富裕社区的125名居民

approached William Simpson, who’d just bought a plot in the area,

找到了刚在该地区 买了一块地的威廉·辛普森，

and told him to leave.

叫他离开。

The Simpsons would be the second Black family

辛普森一家将是这个白人社区的 第二个黑人家庭，

in the otherwise white neighborhood, where they intended to build a home.

他们打算在这里建一个家。

When the Simpsons refused offers to buy them out,

辛普森一家拒绝出售他们的土地，

their neighbors tried blocking their home’s construction.

于是邻居试图阻止他们盖房子。

They finally moved into their house, but the incident had a ripple effect.

他们终于搬进了自己的房子， 但这件事产生了连锁反应。

Just a few months after the mob harassed the Simpsons,

就在暴民骚扰辛普森一家几个月后，

the first racially restrictive covenant was put into place in Minneapolis.

第一份种族限制公约 在明尼阿波利斯生效。

Covenants are agreements in property deeds that are intended to regulate

契约是物业契约中的协议，

how the property is to be used.

旨在规范物业的使用方式。

Beginning in the mid-1800s,

从19世纪中期开始，

people in the United States and elsewhere began employing them in a new way:

美国和各地的人们 开始以一种新的方式利用契约：

specifically, to racially restrict properties.

具体来说，是为了种族限制财产。

They wrote clauses into deeds that were meant to prevent all future owners

他们在契约中写了一些条款， 旨在阻止所有未来的所有者

from selling or leasing to certain racial and ethnic groups,

向特定的种族和民族群体 出售或出租房屋，

especially Black people.

尤其是黑人。

Between 1920 and 1950,

在1920年到1950年之间，

these racial covenants spread like wildfire throughout the US,

这些种族契约像野火一样 在美国蔓延开来，

making cities more segregated and the suburbs more restricted.

使得城市更加隔离，郊区更加限制。

In the county encompassing Minneapolis,

在明尼阿波里斯县，

racial covenants eventually appeared on the deeds to more than 25,000 homes.

种族契约最终出现在超过 2.5万户家庭的房契上。

Not only was this legal,

这不仅是合法的，

but the US Federal Housing Administration

而且美国联邦住房管理局

promoted racial covenants in their underwriting manual.

还在其承保手册中提倡种族契约。

While constructing new homes,

在建造新房的过程中，

real estate developers began racially restricting them from the outset.

房地产开发商从一开始 就对他们进行种族限制。

Developments were planned as dream communities for American families—

这些项目被规划为 美国家庭的梦想社区—

but for white people only.

但只为白人。

In 1947, one company began building what became widely recognized

1947年，一家公司 开始建造一个被广泛认为

as the prototype of the postwar American suburb: Levittown, New York.

是战后美国郊区原型的地方： 纽约的莱维敦。

It was a community of more than 17,000 identical homes.

这是一个拥有1.7万多栋 相同房屋的社区。

They cost around $7,000 each and were intended to be affordable

它们的价格在7000美元左右， 原本是打算

for returning World War II veterans.

让归来的二战老兵负担得起的。

But, according to Levittown’s racial covenants, none of the houses

但是，根据莱维敦的 种族契约，这些房子

could “be used or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race,”

“不能被白人以外的 任何人使用或居住”

with one exception: servants.

只有一个例外：仆人。

Between 1950 and 1970,

1950年至1970年间，

the population of the American suburbs nearly doubled

美国郊区的人口几乎翻了一番，

as white people flocked to more racially homogenous areas

因为白人成群地涌向 种族更单一的地区，

in a phenomenon known as “white flight.”

这种现象被称为“白人迁徙”。

The suburbs spread,

郊区的扩张，

replacing native ecosystems with miles of pavement and water-guzzling lawns.

用绵延数英里的人行道和耗水的 草坪取代了当地的生态系统。

And their diffuse layout necessitated car travel.

而且他们漫无目的的布局 使汽车旅行成为必要。

American automobile production quadrupled between 1946 and 1955,

1946年至1955年间， 美国汽车产量翻了两番，

cementing the nation's dependence on cars.

巩固了国家对汽车的依赖。

Federal programs like the G.I. Bill offered American veterans

像《退伍军人福利法案》 这样的联邦计划为美国退伍军人

favorable lending rates for buying homes.

购买住房提供优惠贷款利率。

But it was difficult for people of color to take advantage of such resources.

但是有色人种很难利用这些资源。

Racial covenants restricted them from certain neighborhoods.

种族契约限制他们进入某些社区。

And, at the same time, government programs labelled neighborhoods of color

与此同时，政府项目将有色人种 社区列为不良投资，

bad investments and often refused to insure mortgages in those areas.

并经常拒绝为这些地区的 抵押贷款提供担保。

Therefore, banks usually wouldn’t lend money to people purchasing property

因此，银行通常不会借钱给在 有色人种社区购买房产的人—

in neighborhoods of color— a practice that became known as redlining.

这种做法后来被称为“划红线”。

So, instead of owning homes that increased in value over time,

因此，许多有色人种被 迫将收入花在房租上，

creating wealth that could be passed to future generations,

而不是拥有随时间增值的房屋，

many people of color were forced to spend their income on rent.

创造可以传递给后代的财富。

And even when they were able to buy property,

而且，即使他们有能力购买房产，

their home’s value was less likely to increase.

他们的房子的价值也不太可能增加。

The suburbs boasted cul-de-sacs and dead ends that minimized traffic.

郊区有许多死胡同， 使交通流量最小化。

Meanwhile, city planners often identified redlined neighborhoods

与此同时，城市规划者 经常将被划上红线的社区

as inexpensive areas for industrial development.

视为工业发展的廉价区。

So, the massive freeway projects of the mid-20th century

因此，20世纪中期的 大规模高速公路项目

disproportionately cut through redlined neighborhoods,

不成比例地穿过了 被划上红线的社区，

accompanied by heavy industry and pollution.

伴随着重工业和污染。

As a result, many neighborhoods of color experience higher rates

因此，许多有色社区的饮用水污染、

of drinking water contamination, asthma, and other health issues.

哮喘和其他健康问题的发病率更高。

People targeted by racial covenants increasingly challenged them in court

受到种族契约攻击的人越来越多地 在法庭上对它们提出质疑，

and, in 1968, they were finally banned under the Fair Housing Act.

1968年，它们最终在 《公平住房法》下被禁止。

But the damage had been done.

但损害已经造成。

Racial covenants concentrated wealth and amenities in white neighborhoods

种族契约将财富和便利设施 集中在白人社区，

and depressed the conditions and home values in neighborhoods of color.

压低了有色社区的 条件和家庭价值。

As of 2020, about 74% of white families in the US owned their homes,

截至2020年，美国约74%的 白人家庭拥有自己的房子，

while about 44% of Black families did.

而约44%的黑人家庭 拥有自己的房子。

That gap is greatest in Minnesota’s Twin Cities.

这一差距在明尼苏达州的 双子城最为明显。

Across the country, neighborhoods remain segregated

在全国范围内， 社区仍然是隔离的，

and 90% of all suburban counties are predominantly white.

90%的郊区县主要是白人。

Some landlords, real estate agents, and lenders

一些房东、房地产中介和贷款机构

still discriminate against people based on race—

仍然基于种族歧视人们—

rejecting them, steering them to and away from certain neighborhoods,

拒绝他们， 引导他们进或出某些社区，

or providing inaccessibly high interest rates.

或提供难以触及的高利率。

Gentrification and exclusionary zoning practices also still displace

中产阶级化和排他性分区的 做法也仍在取代

and keep people of color out of certain neighborhoods.

和阻止有色人种进入某些社区。

Racial covenants are now illegal.

种族契约现在是非法的。

But they can still be seen on many housing deeds.

但仍然可以在许多住房契约上看到。

The legacy of racial covenants is etched across the pristine lawns

种族契约的遗产 在美国郊区的原始草坪上

of the American suburbs.

蚀刻着。

It’s a footnote in the demographic divides of every city.

这是每个城市人口划分的一个注脚。

And it’s one of the insidious architects of the hidden inequalities

它是塑造我们世界的隐性不平等的

that shape our world.

阴险建筑之一。