From Reconstruction up to the Civil Rights era, Black tax dollars weren’t being spent on things benefitting Black people. Instead, they were going toward public services for White people. When it came to things like city planning, public transportation, maintaining infrastructure, fair housing, and quality education, federal and state governments refused to invest in fairness or equality for Black people. So our elders united and fought for necessary change. They worked tirelessly to civilize America for all. They demanded an end to legal discrimination and for access to places Black people were previously denied even though their tax dollars were used to build them.
Laura M. Quainoo