In the 1930s, the U.S. government introduced the practice of redlining — categorizing neighborhoods based on the ethnic and racial backgrounds of the people who lived there, with areas primarily occupied by people of color identified as high-risk for mortgage lenders. The policy led to further housing segregation and decades of disinvestment in health care, schools, and other basic services and infrastructure, taking a disproportionate toll on Black communities.
While redlining was officially discontinued in the 1940s, its legacy continues to harm marginalized people today, according to a new study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.