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Red Lines

by Keith Sanford

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about

Starting in the 1930s, the Federal Housing Association created maps with red lines around neighborhoods where black people lived, thereby designating these areas as high risk for home loans. This made it nearly impossible to buy homes in black neighborhoods, and black people were not allowed to move to white neighborhoods. Without access to funding for buying, building, and improving homes and businesses, black neighborhoods declined.

lyrics

Red lines were drawn on maps, based on types of skin
So, banks would give no money to those who lived within
With people trapped inside, old buildings fell apart
So, the children of their children had nothing from the start
Now, privileged fingers press the scales
With ears to hear yet unaware
That the needle tilts one direction
Fingers put it there

Then sights and sounds of fear, flashed upon the screens
With calls for law and order, and war on welfare queens
Five grams would get five years, with prisons growing wide
And the frightening types of people were safely locked inside
Now, privileged fingers press the scales
With ears to hear yet unaware
That the needle tilts one direction
Fingers put it there

Those fingers, some have claimed, never harm their prey
And others said those fingers, have come to pass away
But people want to keep the power they control
And the fingers keep on pressing a violence on the soul
Now, privileged fingers press the scales
With ears to hear yet unaware
That the needle tilts one direction
Fingers put it there

credits

released January 21, 2019
Words and music by Keith Sanford.

Performance includes Keith Sanford on drums, percussion, keyboard synthesizers, and vocals.

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all rights reserved

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about

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Keith Sanford Waco, Texas

Keith Sanford, Ph.D., creator of www.ForwardFaith.org. Forward Faith is a blog of music and ideas for a progressive faith.

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