The Devastation of Residential Segregation

More people of color than whites live in the city of Dallas and in the city of Fort Worth. But they are more likely to live in poorer inner-city areas while whites live in the more affluent suburbs. Dallas and Fort Worth are not anomalies. In every large city where I have lived, minority areas of town contrast with more affluent suburbs. Even if enough affluent blacks move into a predominantly white neighborhood, we know that whites will move away and perpetuate residential segregation.

It is not just whites’ historic racism that disadvantages people of color, it is their contemporary…