As historian Richard Rothstein describes in his book The Color of Law, private and government forces conspired to block integration and protect the reigning social order. White neighborhoods had to be protected from “the encroachment of the colored race,” one prominent city planner explained. “Race zoning is essential in the interest of the public peace, order, and security.” Real estate agents were warned against selling to “certain racial types”—specifically blacks and foreigners—because their mere presence would “diminish the value” of every home in the neighborhood. The gleaming suburban
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