Root Shock

For those of you who haven't had the chance to read Mindy Fullilove's book or articles about Root Shock, you should take a look. She offers a vivid example of how bad, racist policy and urban planning have done irreparable damage to African American communities around the country. She cites the policy of Urban renewal as one of the major catalysts of the health discrepancies we see today.

I posted the abstract below. To read the full article click here.

SpringerLink - Journal Article: "Root shock: The consequences of African American dispossession"
Abstract: Urban renewal was one of several processes that contributed to deurbanization of American cities in the second half of the 20th century. Urban renewal was an important federal policy that affected thousands of communities in hundreds of cities. Urban renewal was to achieve “clearance” of “blight” and “slum” areas so that they could be rebuit for new uses other than housing the poor. Urban renewal programs fell disproportionately on African American communities, leading to the slogan “Urban renewal is Negro removal.” The short-term consequences were dire, including loss of money, loss of social organization, and psychological trauma. The long-term consequences flow from the social paralysis of dispossession, most important, a collapse of political action. This has important implications for the well-being of African Americans. It also raises important questions about the strength and quality of American democracy.