We have now hit 1,000 posts on the Texas Housers blog, chronicling several years of housing and neighborhood issues here in Texas and around the country – from disaster recovery to fair housing to the living conditions in the colonias of the Rio Grande Valley. The issues are many: Texas remains one of the most unequal places to live in the country, divided by racial and economic segregation, displacement, environmental injustice, discriminatory public policies and much more.
But in recent years, the national conversation has increasingly focused on addressing the kind of inequality seen in Texas and beyond. 2015 was the most important year for fair housing in nearly half a century. Government officials are finally turning their attention to glaring environmental hazards in some low income communities. Locally, nationally and internationally, policymakers and stakeholders are thinking about ways to reduce the gaps in housing, wealth and resources that isolate low income people, particularly people of color.
Recently, the Ford Foundation launched the #InequalityIs campaign, using their prominent platform to amplify the conversation on inequality and spark a dialogue on Twitter and Facebook about the many ways in which inequality manifests itself in our society. Our staff has been active in this discussion, and will continue to highlight the issues facing Texas communities in the weeks and months to come. To mark our thousandth post, here are some of our thoughts about what #InequalityIs:
John Henneberger, co-director
#InequalityIs born in slavery, nurtured in Jim Crow and perpetuated by denial
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 21, 2016
#InequalityIs #EnvironmentalRacism in PCB contaminated DonnaLake in S TX #colonias and CES chemical spill in #Houston OST neighborhood
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs the frequent, devastating compounding of racial segregation and #EnvironmentalRacism https://t.co/9c77YTcB7t
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs having to choose between you neighborhood and your health https://t.co/PEmCucYoQg
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs 8 years after #HurricaneIke most public housing in #Galveston has still not been rebuilt https://t.co/qjaU8b9B5Y
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs wealthy white neighborhoods stealing tax revenues from poor neighborhoods through TIRZ https://t.co/NThgjpwQRj
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs Texas governor making illegal fair housing laws protecting #HousingChoiceVouchers from discrimination https://t.co/ojS7M6Rlb4
— John Henneberger (@JohnH_TXHousers) January 22, 2016
Chrishelle Palay, Houston co-director
#InequalityIs an abandoned chemical facility in the center of an African American community @TexasHousers #CES pic.twitter.com/7x6tvPxUNi
— Chrishelle Palay (@chrishelle3) January 25, 2016
#inqualityIs being denied the #rightToStay in your community because of #gentrification pressures & increasing #HousingCosts @TexasHousers
— Chrishelle Palay (@chrishelle3) January 26, 2016
#InequalityIs allowing abandoned & derelict properties to stand in low income areas https://t.co/IEI17CJLcZ @TexasHousers #5yrsOfBlight
— Chrishelle Palay (@chrishelle3) January 27, 2016
Josué Ramírez, Rio Grande Valley director
#inequalityis colonia residents fighting for public lighting in the 21st Century #sisepuede #LUPE #ARISE pic.twitter.com/DsNQVJCYeu
— Busted Can of Biscuits (@josue_raw_mirez) January 22, 2016
#inequalityis colonia resident's homes and neighborhoods flooding every time it rains #LUPE #flooding @TexasHousers pic.twitter.com/JAMG0SQ6fx
— Busted Can of Biscuits (@josue_raw_mirez) January 25, 2016
Will Livesley-O’Neill, communications
#InequalityIs only building low income housing in low income neighborhoods, without other investment @TexasHousers https://t.co/71sNdy7a5o
— Will Livesley-O'Neill (@WillLives) January 22, 2016
#InequalityIs not living near good schools, transit or jobs because landlords won’t take your voucher @TexasHousers https://t.co/C42UuhDrS0
— Will Livesley-O'Neill (@WillLives) January 25, 2016
#InequalityIs finding dog-whistles to maintain segregated neighborhoods @TexasHousers https://t.co/mKpKA6C8jI
— Will Livesley-O'Neill (@WillLives) January 26, 2016
#InequalityIs pretending that affordability is an afterthought to growth #Austin @TexasHousers https://t.co/FL6lQEUL1N
— Will Livesley-O'Neill (@WillLives) January 26, 2016
