By Martin Levine, Nonprofit Quarterly [...] The coalition, called Desegregate Connecticut, has brought together over 60 groups over the past year and is seeking to rewrite state zoning frameworks. They appear to be close to a remarkable breakthrough that will greatly advance their vision of zoning codes that foster integration, rather than segregation. The history of … [Read more...] about Coalition Seeks New Zoning Rules to Support Housing Affordability—and Integration (Nonprofit Quarterly)
PRRAC in the News
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America’s Racist Housing Rules Really Can Be Fixed (Vox)
By Jerusalem Demsas, Vox [...] Both fair housing lawyers and policy wonks say the Biden administration should work with jurisdictions to provide technical and planning assistance in its aims to rid itself of exclusionary zoning practices. To this end, Biden has endorsed providing $300 million in local housing policy grants, which would “give states and localities the … [Read more...] about America’s Racist Housing Rules Really Can Be Fixed (Vox)
Billions in School Construction in CT Hasn’t Made a Dent in Segregation — But This Year, Things Could Be Different (Connecticut Mirror)
By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Connecticut Mirror National civil rights groups have a name for Connecticut’s inertia: They titled their recent report outlining rejected proposals and “dynamic gradualism” by state leaders “A Steady Habit of Segregation.” “Public deference to white suburbia would fatally circumscribe the state’s practices in the area of desegregation for … [Read more...] about Billions in School Construction in CT Hasn’t Made a Dent in Segregation — But This Year, Things Could Be Different (Connecticut Mirror)
Education Dept. Gets $73.5 Billion in Funding Deal That Ends Ban on Federal Aid for Busing (Education Week)
By Andrew Ujifusa, Education Week The end of the prohibition on using federal aid on initiatives like busing to integrate schools is a big win for school diversity advocates, who’ve been pushing the change for years. The prohibition dates back more than four decades. [...] “The anti-integration provisions unnecessarily limit states and local communities from utilizing … [Read more...] about Education Dept. Gets $73.5 Billion in Funding Deal That Ends Ban on Federal Aid for Busing (Education Week)
Massachusetts’ Public Schools are Highly Segregated. It’s Time We Treated That Like the Crisis It Is (Boston Globe)
By David Scharfenberg, Boston Globe But Phil Tegeler, who worked as a lawyer on the Sheff case for 17 years and is now executive director of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council, says the future of integration may lie not in the courtroom but in progressive state legislatures and the halls of power in Washington. [...] Just this fall, the House of … [Read more...] about Massachusetts’ Public Schools are Highly Segregated. It’s Time We Treated That Like the Crisis It Is (Boston Globe)