Fighting for a Foothold
How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia
Book •
Angela Simms examines Prince George's County, Maryland—the U.S.
's most concentrated Black middle-class suburb—to show how historical and ongoing federal and local policies and private investment patterns produce fiscal constraints.
Drawing on two years of ethnographic observation, nearly 60 interviews, and budget comparisons with neighboring counties, she traces how racial capitalism, reliance on property taxes, and retail redlining result in unequal public goods and services.
The book argues that even affluent Black jurisdictions generate less revenue and face greater burdens than neighboring white jurisdictions, effectively subsidizing regional inequality.
Simms offers policy prescriptions ranging from raising federal and state revenues to regional collaboration, regulation of market actors, and reparations to address cumulative harms.
Her work combines history, political economy, and urban studies to reframe taxes and public investment as tools for communal flourishing.
's most concentrated Black middle-class suburb—to show how historical and ongoing federal and local policies and private investment patterns produce fiscal constraints.
Drawing on two years of ethnographic observation, nearly 60 interviews, and budget comparisons with neighboring counties, she traces how racial capitalism, reliance on property taxes, and retail redlining result in unequal public goods and services.
The book argues that even affluent Black jurisdictions generate less revenue and face greater burdens than neighboring white jurisdictions, effectively subsidizing regional inequality.
Simms offers policy prescriptions ranging from raising federal and state revenues to regional collaboration, regulation of market actors, and reparations to address cumulative harms.
Her work combines history, political economy, and urban studies to reframe taxes and public investment as tools for communal flourishing.
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Introduced by 
Christina Gessler
Fighting for a Foothold: How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia
Introduced by host
Christina Gessler
Fighting for a Foothold: How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia
