Faith in the City, MUSE Winston-Salem, and Bookmarks invite you to a lunchtime author talk and discussion with Dr. Karen Benjamin, author of the new book “Good Parents, Better Homes, and Great Schools: Selling Segregation before the New Deal.”
Benjamin is the Lester Brune and Joan Brune Endowed Chair of History at Elmhurst University (Illinois). “Good Parents, Better Homes, and Great Schools: Selling Segregation before the New Deal” examines how white residential developers, planning consultants, and their allies in government strategically replaced block-level segregation with segregation at the neighborhood level in New South cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Houston, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.
The book links the tactics of residential and school segregation to prevailing middle-class ideas about what constitutes good parenting, ensuring the longevity of both practices. By focusing on efforts that specifically targeted parents, Benjamin not only adds a new dimension to the history of residential segregation but also helps explain why that legacy has been so difficult to undo.
Registration is required.
