Historical Land Use Laws

What is happening? We’ve seen cities and states address historical impact of state land use laws on Black communities. The conversation is growing to include the impact to Asian communities. In the mid 1800s state legislatures enacted alien land laws. In 2021 Florida removed its alien land laws.

Why is this important? Reconciling equal protection under the law with legislation that uses “subtle language to inflict massive damage on the opportunities provided to particular racial, ethnic or socioeconomic groups of people.”

Governing | How States Used Land Laws to Exclude and Displace Asian Americans