Just Action

In his landmark book, The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein revealed how government policy, not just individual prejudice, created and enforced racial segregation across America. But that book left a crucial question unanswered: what can be done about it? In this episode, we discuss with Leah Rothstein the answer provided in the follow-up book, Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law, co-authored by Leah and her father Richard Rothstein.

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The Rothsteins' work dismantles the widely held myth that residential segregation is a "de facto" phenomenon—a result of private choices and natural occurrences. They demonstrate that it is, in fact, "de jure" segregation, a product of deliberate and unconstitutional government actions at all levels. These policies included racial zoning ordinances, the exclusion of African Americans from federally-backed mortgages, and the destruction of Black neighborhoods for highway construction.

Just Action moves beyond historical analysis to offer a practical blueprint for how communities can challenge the legacy of these policies. The book provides a "tool kit" for activism and advocacy, filled with real-world examples of groups and individuals who are successfully fighting to remedy past injustices. It emphasizes that solutions will not come from the Supreme Court or Congress, but must be built at the local level through organized action.

The book highlights various strategies, such as:

• Combating restrictive covenants: Homeowners in Modesto, California, mobilized to publicize and remove racist clauses from their property deeds.

• Encouraging fair banking practices: The Greenlining Institute in Oakland was founded to pressure banks to invest in underserved neighborhoods.

• Building multiracial coalitions: The book shares stories of groups that have successfully maintained integration and prevented "white flight" in their neighborhoods.

The Rothstein's argue that these local, achievable victories can ultimately build a national movement to create a more just and equitable society where everyone has a genuine choice in where they live and access to equal opportunity.