Albany’s candidates must address ‘redlining’ effects

I just finished reading the final part of the Times Union’s weeklong special report, “A

City Divided,” examining how Albany became divided along racial lines.

The last installment, “Bridging Albany’s racial wealth gap,” June 13, was an informative and eye-opening story about how Albany remains a segregated city despite the efforts by many over the years to change this.

The writers lay out many of the aspects of this terrible reality that we all live with every day.

The effects of redlining remain largely intact today. It was a code of borders and uncrossable streets that were devised in the 1930s and adhered to by bankers and Realtors and which the rest of us have lived by, benefited from or been hurt by, depending on the color of our skin, ever since.

Only 20 percent of Black residents own their own homes. More than 80 years later, the areas of Albany these 1930s bankers and Realtors identified as “hazardous” for investment then, remain West Hill, Arbor Hill and the South End.

Can we take pride in Albany as a fair and proud community when we are still largely living by these racist and fear-based standards? I don’t know the way out of this except that, after reading this Times Union special report, I do know that the time is right for thoughtful and courageous action.

I recommend reading this special report and acting accordingly.

As we head toward the Democratic primary June 22, our mayor and her opponents along with campaigning City Council members have a great opportunity to make this issue of our divided city and the racial wealth gap central to the election debate.

The time for action is now. Steve Banbury Albany