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The Color of Dirt by Monique Parks : mons@arches.uga.edu America, the land of opportunity for all! How does one define "all". The Webster's dictionary says Ð everyone, although that is the American dictionary's definition the American society seems to disagree. The American dream is characterized by homeownership, the utmost symbol of security and accomplishment. A homeowner is a successful, financially secure individual who has provided a comfortable standard of living for his/her family. A person (couple) of whom all can be proud. The American society boldly claims that all persons residing on their soil has that opportunity available to them. So then, how is it that the American homeownership process is characterized by redlining, credit-blocking, and block-busting ? America has a number of practices that try to limit and/or restrict the homeownership opportunities for some of their populations. The logical-minded individual may recognize this as income constraints. This does exist but it is a tried and true feature of the modern credit market to ensure its viability, as well as a globally practiced phenomena. However, there is nothing typical about the practices mentioned earlier: redlining, block-busting, and credit blocking. Redlining, the refusal of credit to residents of a particular neighborhood; for example a stated zip code or street. Credit-blocking, is the refusal of credit to persons of a specified minority population. Or to the other extreme is block-busting, a process of making homeownership excessively burdensome forcing the sale or foreclosure of one's home. America boasts of being the land of the free, a country made up of immigrants that not only understands the immigrant plight of starting over with nothing but accommodates it. Persons, worldwide are encouraged to come to America to relieve their native burdens and share in the American dream. However, as in this case of homeownership, America is less like the unopened barrel of opportunities but more like the disappointingly empty barrel that makes the loud noise. The homeownership opportunities are plentiful but not everyone on American soil fits the definition of "all". Studies across the nation reveal that these "other" Americans are often differentiated by the color of their skins. It seems that the closer the individual's color to the dirt being sought after, the greater the obstacles that stand in the way of obtaining that dirt.
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