Author Richard Rothstein will speak on Friday at the Davenport Civil Rights Commission's Fair Housing Symposium. Rothstein's book is entitled, "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America." It focuses on discriminatory housing practices and the impact government policies have had on segregation and its lingering effects.
Rothstein hopes a better understanding of these policies will force people to correct them. He says the US has recognized and passed legislation to eliminate other forms of racial discrimination, and that we have an obligation to remedy the situation that continues to exist.
The Fair Housing Symposium will include panels on neighborhood trauma, segregation in housing, and the Community Reinvestment Act. It will conclude around 4:30 pm with a jazz performance by Dr. Damani Phillips, Professor of Music at the University of Iowa. His show is called, "Black Music in the Fight for Civil Rights."
The Davenport Civil Rights Commission symposium will be held on Friday at the River Center in Davenport. Rothstein is scheduled to speak at 9:00 am. Those interested should register on the commission's website. A spokeswoman says there is a fee, but scholarships are available.
