[conspire] redlining, etc, ... Re: Public Surveys

[Michael Paoli]

> From: "Deirdre Saoirse Moen" <deirdre at deirdre.net>
> Subject: Re: [conspire] Public Surveys
> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2020 15:16:19 -0700

> The reason we have concentrated neighborhoods of blacks is  
> redlining. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining

Reminds me.  Back in college, I knew a quite highly impressive
African American woman ... and so was her dad, although I never
met him.

Her dad bought a nice house, in a nice neighborhood.  He, highly
professional, highly well qualified and then some.  Heck, he had
*three*!!! PhDs!  He was *the* head food scientist at General Mills.
Among many of his responsibilities there he had final word on QA -
anything he ever said wouldn't go in the product or wasn't safe to
ship and sell, would never see the light of day and never make it out
the door - for any reason - period.  He also researched the
competition's products.  General Mills would go out and buy competitors
products at retail locations, and bring it back for research.  He'd
investigate *exactly* what was in it, and also work to determine
exactly how they were able to produce it exactly as they did ... so
not only ingredients - and all of them, and to molecular levels, but
also exactly how they did or could've processed it to get the exact
packaged final results they did.  He did much more than that,
but those are at least 2 bits I can remember >35 years later.
Yeah, he'd also occasionally send his daughter a huge box -
a "care package" - filled with competitor's products, that had been
opened, sample cleanly removed, then carefully and securely resealed
(non-perishable dry boxed goods).

Well, he surely had the income and qualifications to buy a nice
house in a nice neighborhood.  Uh huh.  Yes, ... he did.  But the
*only* way he was able to do it, was to pay *cash*!  That was the
*only* way he could get the home sold to him.

Another thing I remember about his also impressive daughter.  She
was working on her Masters (or PhD) in architecture at Cal.
The University/college she'd come from before that (I don't recall
what institution it was), she did a final architecture project there.
it was judged by 6 professors.  Each would give a grade on it.
The grades she got on it ... 3 As, and 3 Fs ... but, her design
and concept ... the 3 Fs were basically given, as they (initially)
said "Wouldn't work" ... but she'd done all her research and such
to show and prove that it would, so she appealed, and yet better made
and presented her argument (all the information was there before,
but 3 of the professors didn't look at it closely enough) ... she
then went from 3 As and 3 Fs to 6 As.  And ... what was her project?
A prison/jail complex.  It was a novel design - rather radically
different, much more humane and better for the inmates (and even
guards, etc. too), while being more than sufficiently secure (and
more secure than most).  And even cost effective.  And sometimes I
wonder too what in her background may have so motivated her to pick
that in particular (not do mention also do so damn well on the project)
... perhaps persons of color being treated unfairly, persecuted,
prosecuted, and convicted ... and perhaps trying to improve
the outcomes for those convicted and incarcerated?  Don't know
that she ever told me, but I do wonder.

Oh, and worked hard and motivated?  Yeah, she went 2 weeks without sleep
on working her final project ... nothing but strong coffee.  I've known
some folks to have missed some sleep over academics - even relatively
seriously at times ... but ... 2 weeks without sleep?  Can't say I've
ever before (or since) encountered someone who'd done that.
Oh, and after that ... yeah, her mom took her to the doctor to see
what was "wrong" with her ... to which she insisted all she needed to do
was sleep ... which they let her do after some bit ... and she did ...
slept a solid ... I forget how long exactly - was at least 24 hrs. ...
something in the 24 to 36 hour range anyway ... and then all fine and
back to "normal" after that.

And, reminds me of some other stories.  I was fortunate in, at least
my earlier childhood, growing up in a neighborhood - and school - that
was quite ethnically and culturally diverse.  Heck, I remember my mom
later remarking ... my best friend in 2nd grade was black ... she didn't
even know he was black 'till I had him over for my birthday party.
So, yeah, certainly at least early on, I grew up in a neighborhood that
was essentially "color blind" ... mostly didn't know what racism was.
It was great.

Had an older friend - he was in Jr. high.  I was still in elementary
school.  That Jr. high definitely had some "race" problems ... like
occasionally the school would be shut down on account of race riots.
I remember bit of conversation with my friend., best I can
recall/paraphrase from wetware (was over 47 years ago),
he'd remarked about the school:  "Yeah, it's about 60%
black, 40% white."  (he and I both would fall under "white" with that
crude a split, he continued ...) "I wouldn't mind it at all if it was
50/50."

Alas, later in my childhood (mostly teens), I was marooned (the move was
not my choice) to, well, ... yeah, definitely not diverse, and egad,
racism ... I got to learn what that was, and it - the racism - friggin'
sucked.  Racism always sucked, and so long as it exists will
continue to suck.  It was never a good thing for *anybody*.