Beyond Separation
Once a community starts believing that some people are more valuable than others, this idea gets reinforced through rules that keep people separated. So, dealing with separation while respecting Indigenous sovereignty became a key part of TRHT. This includes tackling residential segregation, colonization, and isolation, which lead to concentrated poverty. Where there is segregation and concentrated poverty, opportunities are limited. This also means looking at how separation is built into our education, health care, mental health care, and housing systems, as well as in immigration policies. Working on these issues will help neighborhoods and communities ensure fair access to housing, health care, food, education, and jobs.
Blueprint for Housing Equity
BCTRHT believes that a community that is united can achieve anything. We are starting our journey to create a Blueprint for Housing Justice in Battle Creek alongside our beloved community members. Our event, Building Equity: A Panel Discussion on Housing Justice in Battle Creek, was a collaboration between Battle Creek Area Association of Realtors (BCAAR), Battle Creek Coalition for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (BCTRHT), Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, the City of Battle Creek, Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan, New Story Community Books, and Washington Heights United Methodist Church.​
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Building Equity:
A Panel Discussion on Housing Justice in Battle Creek
Seeking to make Housing Equity a reality in Battle Creek, a group of local organizations are coming together to hosted a community dinner and discussion with renowned authors Sheryll Cashin and Leah Rothstein about their respective works, White Space, Black Hood and Just Action.
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This event, held at Washington Heights United Methodist Church on June 5th, brought over 150 community members together. The authors cultivated a comprehensive understanding of housing inequity, explored actionable steps, and promoted collaborative efforts among diverse communities.
Book Discussion Facilitator's Guide
After our Building Equity event, attendees were excited to bring the information from White Space, Black Hood and Just Action to their own community groups. To make the information in these books more accessible, this facilitator’s guide was created with the following goals in mind:
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Make housing equity history easier to understand.
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Create parallels between redlining in the 1930's and today’s residential segregation.
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Spark discussion about housing equity within community groups and families.
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Provide a resource for further exploration of racial dynamics in the U.S.
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Empower people to learn about and fight for housing equity in their own communities.
With this guide, we hope you can lead a thoughtful and engaging discussion on Just Action and White Space Black Hood that promotes understanding and action on critical issues of racial segregation and housing equity.
