Why does Palo Alto’s African American Population Stand at Just 1.6%, and What are the Problems in the City’s Methods to Address this Disparity?

by

by : 
Will T

Summary

Despite the passing of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 aiming to end discriminatory housing practices against African Americans, there continues to be widespread inequity propagated by systemic racism. This problem has negatively impacted African Americans because it has prevented them from equal wealth accumulation through property ownership during Silicon Valley’s tech boom of the late 20th century. Today, Palo Alto’s African American population stands at just 1.9%. This project examines the City of Palo Alto’s methods to address disparities in its racial composition, through statistical analysis.