On Tuesday, May 22nd A Better Cambridge welcomed Richard Rothstein to Cambridge. Rothstein's work, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, explores the myth that America's cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation--that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, The Color of Law incontrovertibly makes clear that it was de jure segregation--the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments--that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.

Following his presentation Rothstein participated in a panel alongside Chrystal Kornegay, CEO of MassHousing; Dr. Atyia Martin, former Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Boston; and David Harris, former Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston. The panel was moderated by Boston Globe columnist Dante Ramos.