Redlining | Created by Barbara Sferra from Cincinnati, OH.

Redlining

Created by:

Barbara Sferra from Cincinnati, OH

Exhibit:

Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist

Artist Statement:

Housing has long been a core component of racial inequity. Redlining, which began in the 1930’s, was a systematic program designed to segregate America’s neighborhoods by determining where it was safe for financial institutions to provide mortgages. Neighborhoods were color coded based on “desirability” – green for the “Best,” blue for “Still Desirable,” yellow for “Definitely Declining,” and RED for “Hazardous.” The red designation, where African Americans lived, indicated these neighborhoods were too risky to insure mortgages.

Richard Rothstein, author of "The Color of Law," declared redlining was equivalent to a “state-sponsored system of segregation.” He stated: “The segregation of our metropolitan areas today leads ... to stagnant inequality, because families are much less able to be upwardly mobile when they’re living in segregated neighborhoods where opportunity is absent.” He also stated: “If we want greater equality in this society, if we want a lowering of the hostility between police and young African American men, we need to take steps to desegregate.” This quilt is a conceptual representation of Redlining’s effects on segregation and where people of color live.

2020
40" x 28"
Hand-dyed fabric, rayon thread, cotton batt; hand sewn and quilted.