Chaffey College

Reading Response: The Intertwined History of Class and Race Segregation in Los Angeles

May 2nd, 2025

Intro to Ethnic Studies

subtle ways through media, politics, or laws. America was built on the basis of racism and has

kept that going for hundreds of years. Today, things like racial inequalities, discrimination, and

prejudice are all around and found on a regular basis. Racism holds so much power and impacts

the lives of so many minorities. Little things such as securing a job or attaining higher education

becomes such a struggle for these minority groups due to racial inequalities instilled in America.

African American individuals seem to struggle with this the most due to the fact they have been

seen and even treated as less than human for years. When it comes to housing in the United

States, it has always been a challenge for minorities to obtain ownership of a house due to racial

housing policies and discrimination. The article titled “The Intertwined History of Class and

Race Segregation in Los Angeles” written by Laura Redford takes a deep dive into how racism

plays a role in things such as housing development in Los Angeles and the segregation of its

residents.

​ Housing in Los Angeles is notorious for being extremely expensive and unaffordable to

many residents. However, Laura Redford explains how racism actually plays a role in housing

not being as accessible to minority groups such as African American individuals compared to

white individuals. The article states “developers and residents used restrictive covenants to keep

people of color from certain neighborhoods” (Redford, Pg. 1). These covenants continued the

segregation of minority groups from whites because non-whites were not allowed to occupy

housing in white neighborhoods. Racial covenants also fueled the creation of ghettos and the

demolition of poor communities of color. Cities such as Compton and Hawthorne are seen as

ghetto communities due to the concept of redlining. Redlining is the denial of financial services

to people who lived in certain neighborhoods deemed too risky for loans or mortgages. Cities
like Beverly Hills were not deemed as risky because of the residents’ abilities to hold loan

commitments. Since minority groups were more prone to poverty, they had no choice but to stay

in cities deemed too risky to have financial help. These racist housing policies such as redlining,

often come with long term effects such as reinforcing the idea that minorities are only limited to

“slum like” conditions and will never get the opportunity to own a home, much less own a home

in a predominantly white neighborhood.

​ Advertising is a way to promote products or services; however, it was also used for the

continuation of segregated communities by real estate professionals. An example of how

advertising tactics played a role in segregated neighborhoods that the article states is “marketers

used language that highlighted the economic and social standing of their tracts” (Redford, Pg. 6).

This was effective in maintaining segregation within neighborhoods because of the economic

inequality by race that the city of Los Angeles faced and still faces today. Minority groups such

as Mexican Americans were paid unfair wages compared to their white counterparts for the same

labor. Since they were paid lower wages than others doing the same work, many Mexican

Americans were financially unstable and not able to afford homes that white individuals could.

The article also states “even without referring to minimum building requirements or racial

exclusions, these ads announced the class and race of desired residents, excluding those who

could not afford the developments and people of color” (Redford, Pg.6). Building restrictions

contributed to the lack of opportunities that these racialized groups faced on a daily basis. There

was no such thing as equality for all when it came to housing for minorities. Many

advertisements were created only for the use of racial segregation and discrimination within

neighborhoods. Rather than housing being a right, it is considered a luxury that Americans have

to work hard for and still may never obtain.

other government officials promoted segregation through advertising, class, and even courts.

Redfords main idea essentially states “Los Angeles grew on the foundation of segregation put in

place by the city’s real estate developers and brokers as they combined class and racial

segregation” (Pg.12). The gentrification of Los Angeles neighborhoods only aids in the

continuation of segregation. Ideas such as racial economic inequality and housing segregation

are still prevalent today. Many minorities such as African Americans and Mexican Americans

are still underpaid compared to white individuals for the same labor. This causes racial groups to

struggle with finances and stay in neighborhoods with extreme poverty, violence, and vandalism.

The article also states “the location of these communities segregated by class and race

determined which areas of the city would carry the most political capital, receive the most

attention from elected leaders, and profit from the most city services” (Redford, Pg. 12). The

underinvestment in cities with higher poverty rates such as Compton, promotes the idea that

residents living in these ghettoized communities do not deserve better quality living conditions

compared to funded cities like Beverly Hills.

​ Although Los Angeles today is a very ethnically diverse city, it still does not downplay

the fact that its residents are still very much dealing with segregation. As stated earlier, racism

can be extremely subtle, but subtle does not mean it does not exist. The role of racism today still

has a huge impact on the housing crisis and the way certain communities are treated and funded.

Myths in housing such as an African American family moving into a neighborhood causing the

price of surrounding homes to go down are still fueled by real estate professionals to ultimately

scare white families into selling their homes for a lower price. These real estate agents would

then rent out those homes to Black families to make a bigger profit while still promoting racist
and negative attitudes about Black Americans. However, Los Angeles is a city that continues to

grow and evolve. By understanding the history of how class and racism affect housing within

Los Angeles, we can become better at addressing the ongoing issues of discrimination,

displacement, economic inequalities and segregation within neighborhoods.

​ Journal of Planning History, Nov. 2017.