I grew up during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and, like many others of my generation, I like to think I am well-informed about the history of race in the United States. But, actually, no. I’m constantly finding gaps, small and large, in my knowledge of racial politics and its profound impact on the lives and experiences of so many fellow citizens.
Recently, I was in Detroit, a city I have visited all my life, and for the first time, I heard about “the Wall.” Built of concrete, 6 feet high and 1 foot thick, and extending for a half-mile in the northwest corner of the city, it was constructed in the early 1940s to keep African Americans out of a planned new subdivision for whites and satisfy the FHA (Federal Housing Authority), which otherwise wouldn’t guarantee a loan to the developer.
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