February 06, 2025 Image In Hetty Startup’s four-part series, Amherst History Month by Month, she explores the intersections of housing, race, and history through her childhood memories in Minneapolis. Her father, a professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design at the time, helped the family settle into a small house, which became the backdrop for Startup’s early understanding of America's housing and civil rights landscape.Minneapolis’s housing history reflects national trends of migration, economic change, and social movements. In the early 20th century, neighborhoods like Bryant and Central became home to waves of European immigrants and African Americans fleeing the Jim Crow South. However, discriminatory practices like redlining limited opportunities for many, and the post-WWII era saw “white flight” to the suburbs, leaving urban areas more racially segregated.The 1960s brought significant social change, including the rise of the American Indian Movement, which advocated for fair housing and justice for indigenous communities. Today, Minneapolis continues to grapple with rising home prices, rental costs, and housing instability, particularly for communities of color. While initiatives like ending single-family zoning aim to address affordability, the city’s history of segregation continues to affect housing equity.Minneapolis stands at a crossroads in addressing these challenges, with its future shaped by how it tackles housing affordability, inclusion, and the lasting effects of systemic racism.Learn MoreAn Introduction to the History of Housing in New England (amherstindy.com—January 3, 2025)Introduction to the History of Housing in New England, Part 2: Early Privately Funded Housing Developments(amherstindy.com—January 10, 2025)The History of Housing in New England Part 3: A Federal Mandate (amherstindy.com—January 17, 2025)The History of Housing in New England Part 4: A Sideways Glance to My Own Minneapolis Housing Story(amherstindy.com—January 24, 2025)