ABC 7, Chicago's Number One station for news, presented a virtual town hall examining the long lasting effects of the discriminatory real estate and banking practices of redlining. ABC 7's Leah Hope moderated this hour-long event available on abc7chicago.com Thursday, February 11 at 2:00 PM.
Redlining meant that Black residents, despite having all the necessary collateral and ability to pay, could not secure a home for purchase because of their neighborhood "color designation." The historic practice of redlining, with some roots in Chicago's real estate and financial community, had lasting consequences that not only kept Blacks out of desirable neighborhoods, but was instrumental in stifling school integration, opportunities for economic development, corporate development and access to healthcare.
Leah Hope takes a close look, along with this week's panelists, at the history of redlining and the negative impact this insidious form of discrimination had on Black families and communities. The conversation offers insight on how this practice served as a major roadblock to creating generational wealth for Black families.
Guest panelists:
-Lamell McMorris, Greenlining Realty USA
-Asiaha Butler, Resident Association of Greater Englewood
-Matt Wilson, Great Cities Institute
-Shari Runner, The Humanity Institute and Black Researchers Collective
-Richard Townsell, Lawndale Christian Development Corp.
The virtual town hall was also exclusively streamed live on ABC 7's Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC 7's app, and ABC 7's connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.