Is Public Housing Another Covert Tool of Oppression in America?

In his essay, “Moving out of Public Housing” Howard Husock presented an effective argument supporting government owned housing presented in the 1930s by Catherine Bauer, a social reformer. Bauer explained that it was “Only governments [that] can set up the new method of house production . . . to replace the wasteful and obsolete chaos still prevailing” (Husock, 89).

According to Husock, Bauer’s 1935 theory, that America’s privatized housing market had dominated the era allowing “small builders . . . front-foot lots and,” what she called, “the miserable straggling suburbs” to reign over other options. “The ideology of individual home ownership must go” she exclaimed. The idea of constructing city housing projects across the nation signified change and hope theories such Bauer’s brought about two significant events: the 1937 congressional debate during which Senator Robert Wagner argued allowing the construction of public housing would help Americans, “who live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions . . . detrimental to morals, to health and safety” (Husock, 100) and Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation producing the affordable housing projects of today.

Husock argued that those who advocated so strongly for the construction of Public housing never imagined, “the realities . . . as they exist today” (91) after all, the original intention for public housing was to provide affordable housing for working class people (91). Husock noted also that the former mission to provide housing for low-income, working-class families was altered by a host of social variables that I concur with to some degree. Multiple causations contributed to the decline of the projects. 1. During the Second World War, millions of private homes and apartments were produced by American construction companies. 2. The beauty and affordability of these structures combined with assistance from organizations such as the National Association of Realtors who devised the Housing Affordability Index that compared housing prices and mortgage rates to a family’s income, sparked an exodus within pubic housing. 3. “Working families quickly abandoned public housing” (Husock 91).

From Overt to Covert: Racism Still Rampant Within Our Nation

Just as parents of other races do, African American parents have tremendous faith in social institutions of spirituality, medicine and, education and they depend on these forces of socialization to influence and mold their children. Indeed, all parents hope beyond measure that knowledge obtained during the socialization process will assist children at improving the world with respect for human difference. At the same time, by grasping basic socialization principles, each child will be afforded the same fair and equal opportunities necessary in the development of viably capable citizens able to sustain competitive advantage in host of diverse and important forums of society.


Unfortunately, for a disproportionate amount of African American children enrolled within the nation’s public school system, a dangerous and diabolical ploy has become evident and caused such astronomical damage that it can no longer be used as the subtle tool of discrimination that is was originally intended. These children will be labeled mentally retarded (MR), mildly, mentally retarded (MMR), emotionally, mentally retarded (EMR), and emotionally disturbed (ED) or, the blanket diagnosis will be rendered: learning disabled (LD). As a result, the aforementioned group duly labeled, has become overrepresented in special education classes. Not only can this categorization system (labeling and separating) damage the group’s chances at enjoying the equal education opportunities that they deserve, it also demeans and humiliates the labeled child and further exacerbates existing conditions that may have been treated with little cost to the state or the family.
Such large numbers of African American youth labeled and separated supports former racists’ ideologies that the African American is intellectually inferior to other groups:

HONORING the DEAD

Grandma Rose was a proud, stylish and beautiful woman who, at age sixty-five appeared to be about forty-five. Mimi and I did not know her very well during our youth. The only time that we got to see her was when my father would come by and happen to take us to her house on brief visits. I loved her house with its’ dim lighting, sleek parquet wood floors, oriental rugs and African paintings and sculptures. Everything was so clean, so neat that I remember thinking that she believed that children were too messy and that was why I believed that we did not visit that often. I longed to appear sociable hoping that she would invite us more frequently. While at her house, I would sit there stiffly, smiling politely not knowing what to say. I wanted her approval so desperately that I tried to answer every one of her questions as perfectly as possible. However, this resulted in shy monosyllabic responses to inquiries that required extensive elaboration; it was extremely awkward for us all.


During my early thirties, Grandma had her leg amputated. I began visiting that same Linden Boulevard apartment where I’d sat cowering at her greatness as long as I could remember, taking her to doctors’ appointments and grocery shopping, paying her bills and keeping her company too. I would even help her out in going to the bathroom and bathing herself which made us both feel a bit uncomfortable in the beginning; but after a while we grew accustomed to a routine that developed almost instantly and Grandma came to depend upon me somewhat. I was happy to get to know her and realized that we were enjoying a bond that was ancient and strong. She was the proud matriarch and I the venerating daughter.