A Black New Deal For Oakland
What is it?
The economic disparities we see today are primarily the result of decades of discriminatory policy. A Black New Deal would develop city-wide policies and programs that reinvest in Black communities around seven focus areas: art & culture, economics, education, environment, health, housing, and public safety.
Why is it important?
President Roosevelt’s Great Depression New Deal came at a time when America was facing wide income inequality and scarce job opportunities. It oversaw the largest welfare transfer in American history, recognizing that the market with its narrow focus on profits, had failed Americans and only the federal government was large enough to effectively address the scale of the issue. The New Deal programs, however, explicitly excluded Black Americans from the social support systems, subsidizing only the lives and futures of white suburbanites.
The result: a two-tiered system that created wealth for some and impoverished others, dramatically deepening the divide created by enslavement and segregation.
Fast forward to 2008, instead of receiving government support when they could not pay their mortgages, Black families saw their homes foreclosed. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published that “a growing body of research shows that centuries of racism in this country has had a profound and negative impact on communities of color. The impact is pervasive and deeply embedded in our society—affecting where one lives, learns, works, worships and plays, and creating inequities in access to a range of social and economic benefits—such as housing, education, wealth, and employment.” In Oakland, the outcomes are starkly black and white.
We cannot address the deep issues of homelessness, public education, safety and all the things Oakland residents care about without understanding the role that hundreds of years of racism has played in creating the outcomes we are experiencing today. At the same time, when we address the experiences of the most marginalized, we can improve conditions for everyone. Carroll intends to address the elephant in the room no one wants to confront: It’s time we right this historic wrong by creating a New Deal that serves the Black Americans.
What’s been done so far?
➔ The Black New Deal Symposium - Carroll hosted the Symposium to discuss developing city-wide policies and programs that reinvest in six focus areas: art & culture, economics, education, environment, housing, and public safety.
➔ Request For Report On Redlined Neighborhoods - Carroll requested a report on the economic impacts on Black Oaklanders in District 3 due to the policies and programs of the New Deal Era and urban renewal. This included the impact of financing relationships, housing, zoning and related municipal policies that created the Cypress Freeway, the 7th Street Post Office, the West Oakland Bart Station and all redlined areas in District 3. The request also asked for an analysis of displacement through eminent domain, lost wealth due to segregation, depreciated property value and gentrification.
➔ Report Published - The report put on public record the economic impact of racist housing policy in Oakland over those decades, including costing Black Oaklanders between $4.9 and $5.2 billion dollars. Beyond housing, the report also looked at an income gap calculation. The report was the first step in pushing the City to bear responsibility in rectifying the harm caused by these policies and practices.
➔ Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) - Carroll identified a financing mechanism for funding aspects of the Black New Deal. An EIFD directs a share of future property taxes to revitalization efforts, affordable housing developments for city residents, public works projects and environmental cleanup -- all without increasing local tax rates.
➔ An expansive study has begun, picking up where the report left off in order to research and record the present day issues affecting West Oaklanders and identify methods and solutions for addressing them with data-informed policies.
The study is being led by Oakland-bred Dr. Brandi Summers of BluSummers, LLC, an Associate Professor of UC Berkeley’s Department of Geography with support from the renowned racial disparity consulting firm Mason Tillman Associate, Ltd. Sign up to participate here.
What’s coming up next?
➔ Finalize the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD), once a report and recommendations on different configurations of EIFDs are presented by the City Administration and Council reviews, Carroll will move forward with introducing a Resolution of Intention to form the EIFD.
The Symposium
On February 26, 2022, Carroll held a symposium on how a Black New Deal can be developed for Oakland. The symposium had a workshop for each focus area and included a short presentations by respected academics, activists, and area experts followed by discussion with community members. Recordings of the presentation available below.
