Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall examines discriminatory effects of redlining

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC 7, Chicago's Number One station for news, presented a virtual town hall examining the long lasting effects of the discriminatory real estate and banking practices of redlining. ABC 7's Leah Hope moderated this hour-long event available on abc7chicago.com Thursday, February 11 at 2:00 PM.

Redlining meant that Black residents, despite having all the necessary collateral and ability to pay, could not secure a home for purchase because of their neighborhood "color designation." The historic practice of redlining, with some roots in Chicago's real estate and financial community, had lasting consequences that not only kept Blacks out of desirable neighborhoods, but was instrumental in stifling school integration, opportunities for economic development, corporate development and access to healthcare.

Leah Hope takes a close look, along with this week's panelists, at the history of redlining and the negative impact this insidious form of discrimination had on Black families and communities. The conversation offers insight on how this practice served as a major roadblock to creating generational wealth for Black families.

Guest panelists:

-Lamell McMorris, Greenlining Realty USA

-Asiaha Butler, Resident Association of Greater Englewood

-Matt Wilson, Great Cities Institute

-Shari Runner, The Humanity Institute and Black Researchers Collective

-Richard Townsell, Lawndale Christian Development Corp.

The virtual town hall was also exclusively streamed live on ABC 7's Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC 7's app, and ABC 7's connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abc7chicago

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PREVIOUS TOWN HALLS:

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall on COVID and the vaccine in the Latinx community

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall showcases faith leaders and 'Family Value' anti-violence campaign

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall on blood donations during COVID pandemic hosted by Hosea Sanders

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community town hall on COVID-19 vaccine concerns in communities of color, hosted by Cheryl Burton

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community on Asian American harassment and bystander intervention, moderated by Ravi Baichwal

Our Chicago: Voices of the Community: Significance of Kamala Harris' election to vice president-elect; Cheryl Burton moderates

ABC 7 Chicago hosts digital town hall to recognize Native American Heritage Month; Leah Hope moderates

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Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on August 6, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on mental health in the Black community

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by WCL's Val Warner, on race and education during COVID-19

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by Jim Rose, on race and racism in sports

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 16, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on violence

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 9, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on Black Greek letter organizations

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 2, 2020: Hosted by Hosea Sanders, on summer festivals

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 25, 2020: Hostel by Terrell Brown and Leah Hope, on racism in public education

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 18, 2020: Hosted by Evelyn Holmes and Will Jones,on youth movements

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 11, 2020: Hosted by Karen Jordan and Hosea Sanders, on organizational social change

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 4, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on the aftermath of George Floyd's death

About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.3 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, the station produces 41 hours of local news weekly and Chicago's only local weekday entertainment talk show, "Windy City LIVE," as well as its highest-rated New Year's Eve special. ABC7's award-winning programs such as "Heart and Soul," "The Ñ Beat" and "Asian Influences" showcase the city's diversity, while being the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed. ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.