How did redlining contribute to systemic racism in housing and economic opportunities?

Redlining was a practice where banks and insurers marked certain neighborhoods, often those with a majority of Black residents, as too risky for investment. This meant that people living in these areas could not easily get loans to buy homes or start businesses, which limited their economic opportunities. For example, a family in a redlined area might want to buy a house but could not get a mortgage, so they had to rent, often paying more in the long run without building any wealth. Over time, this lack of investment led to poorer schools and fewer job opportunities in those neighborhoods, creating a cycle of poverty. As a result, redlining reinforced systemic racism by denying whole communities the chance to thrive economically and socially.