Confronting the Racist Legacy of Urban Highways

East Los Angeles Interchange. Image Courtesy of The DirtHighways, in their inanimate state, cannot be racist. However, the forces that located them and the consequences of their placement are inextricably connected to race. Deborah Archer, a law professor and civil rights lawyer, captures the central concept: “Highways were built through and around Black communities to entrench racial inequality and protect white spaces and privilege.”In the new book, Justice and the Interstates: The