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WBFO Hosts Facebook Live Event on Housing and Racial Equity
| Date: | May 1, 2018 |
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WBFO will host a Facebook Live event at 7 pm Wednesday, May 9, on housing and the legacy of discriminatory policies in Buffalo and cities across the United States. “Housing in Black and White” is part of the station’s “Community Conversations on Racial Equity” project. The year-long project aims to engage the community in discussions about racial equity and the need to ensure Buffalo’s recent economic and cultural resurgence benefits the entire population through ongoing reporting on WBFO and four Facebook Live events.
WBFO Reporter Angelica Morrison will moderate the “Housing in Black and White”
Facebook Live event with panelists:
- Henry Taylor Jr., Founding Director of the University at Buffalo’s Center for
Urban Studies - Dr. Melinda Cameron, UB Pediatrics and Medical Director for Lead Poisoning
Prevention Center of Western New York - Sarah Wooton, Policy Analyst for the Partnership for the Public Good
- John Washington, Director of Organizing for PUSH Buffalo
The discussion, which will be hosted on WBFO’s Facebook page, will dive into the legacy of the federal government's red-lining policy, which made it easier for whites to get mortgages in the suburbs while denying loans in many African-American city neighborhoods. Meanwhile, local government policies such as replacing the Olmsted designed Humboldt Parkway with a sunken, six-lane highway further damaged East Buffalo communities.
The impact of those policies and decisions have reverberated for decades. African American families were handicapped in building generational wealth through home ownership, and disinvestment ravaged neighborhood shopping areas. Many African American neighborhoods in the city also are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards, such as, air pollution, toxic waste and lead paint, which can lead to serious health problems. In addition to highlighting this problem, “Housing in Black and White” will focus on the people and programs that are helping to address these inequities.
To learn more about the project and to listen to WBFO stories about the racial equity, visit www.news.wbfo.org/term/wbfo-racial-equity-project. Questions for the panelists can be submitted ahead of time by sending a message to WBFO’s Facebook page or by emailing fblive@wbfo.org.
The Community Conversations on Racial Equity project is funded by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
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On May 7, 2018, PPG released a report on A Brief History of Segregation in Buffalo for the Open Buffalo Innovation Lab. This policy report was drafted by Anna Blatto, a senior at the University at Buffalo. It explores the history of segregation in Buffalo and offers policy suggestions for the years ahead. Read the full report here: A City Divided: A Brief History of Segregation in Buffalo.
About WNED | WBFO
The WNED | WBFO family of stations broadcasts PBS, NPR and Classical music programming throughout the Western New York and Southern Ontario regions. These high-quality programs and community outreach services inform, enlighten, entertain and educate our local and regional communities. Our member-supported stations include WNED-TV (PBS), WBFO-FM 88.7 (NPR), Classical 94.5 WNED, JazzWorks, WNED thinkbright Create and PBS KIDS 24/7. WNED-TV is also a national producer of award-winning documentaries. Additional information about WNED ǀ WBFO can be found at wned.org.