In our ongoing webinar series, OpenSky is exploring the intersection of public policy and racial and ethnic equity in Nebraska. The second webinar, which is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m., will focus on how historical policy choices in the areas of federal and state tax, housing, corrections and workforce protections led to where we are now.
One of the policies covered will be redlining, a discriminatory lending practice dating back to the 1930’s, when banks, financial firms and real estate agents demarcated geographic areas — often in red — that were considered off limits for issuing loans due to perceived risk because they were either predominantly Black or racially integrated neighborhoods.
Although outlawed in the late 1960s, the practice of channeling federal and private mortgage subsidies and funds to white homeowners continued, allowing them to buy into suburban neighborhoods with increasing property values and tax-supported schools, while also gaining wealth through their home equity.
Black Nebraskans, on the other hand, were effectively confined to areas within a city that had falling property values and underfunded schools, and little ability to gain wealth through home equity because of their lack of access to credit.[1] These areas grew to be heavily congested which, when combined with a lack of federal, state and local investment, affected residents’ work and educational opportunities and prevented them from building a thriving community, which contributes to increased crime rates, over-policing and higher incarceration rates, as our panel will discuss Wednesday.
As we discussed last week, Black Nebraskans continue to own homes at significantly lower rates than their white counterparts and experience lower graduation rates and disproportionately higher rates of incarceration due in large part to these historically racist policies. This is meaningful because stable housing — and a lack thereof — affects so many aspects of daily life, including public safety, access to a quality education and even access to nutritious food.
Dr. Palma Joy Strand of Creighton University Law School will head up the housing discussion during Wednesday’s panel, which will also feature comments from:
- Dr. Mark Foxall, Community Service Associate at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and former Director of the Douglas County Corrections Department, who will discuss historical corrections policies;
- Michael Leachman, Vice President for State Fiscal Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who will present on historical tax developments; and
- Abbie Kretz, Lead Organizer at the Heartland Workers Center, who will discuss significant historical policies related to worker protections.
You can register for this webinar as well as the rest of our Policy and Equity series here.
The remaining schedule of the webinars, which will be held each Wednesday in October at 10 a.m. and feature panel discussions with local, state and national leaders and experts, is as follows:
- Oct. 21 — This discussion will center on the importance of and the opportunities presented by acting proactively to increase racial and ethnic equity in Nebraska.
- Oct. 28 — The series will conclude with a conversation about policies that Nebraska can enact to increase racial and ethnic equity going forward.
More details about future sessions will be published soon but we encourage you to reserve your spot today!