Challenging Racism & Land Use/Housing

Land-use policies and housing practices have long been central to creating and maintaining racial inequities in the United States. From redlining and racially restrictive covenants to exclusionary zoning laws, Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have been deliberately denied access to homeownership, high-opportunity neighborhoods, and generational wealth. These policies segregated cities and suburbs, concentrating poverty and disinvestment in some areas while promoting growth and prosperity in others—often along racial lines. The legacy of these practices continues today in disparities in housing quality, affordability, access to good schools, transportation, and health outcomes. Addressing racial inequities in housing requires confronting these historical injustices and reforming current land-use policies that still disproportionately harm marginalized communities.

The DC Department of Housing & Community Development began the Challenging Racism: Learning How curriculum in Fall 2022 with Department employees who work for fair and equitable housing on a daily basis. In addition to the CR-Learning How curriculum, the DCHD has engaged Challenging Racism to present a series of Lunch n’ Learn sessions on Privilege, Bias & Equity throughout 2023, as well as another Learning How cohort.