ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As we move toward the end of Black history month, we’re looking at a painful part of our past – redlining. Redlining was finally outlawed in 1968, but we still see the effects of those policies. The Greater Rochester area remains largely segregated, but one town council board member wanted to change that.

Kevin Spencer Beckford was the first African American in the history of Pittsford to be elected to its town board in 2017. His experience speaks to progress made and progress yet to be seen.

Rochester, like so many American cities, is deeply segregated.  Blacks in the city center. Whites in the suburbs.  This didn’t happen naturally.  In cities across America, it happened because of redlining, racist segregationist policies created and implemented by the U.S. government. 

Faced with a housing shortage in the mid 1930’s, the federal government began a program to increase housing for middle to lower-middle-income Americans.  The Federal Housing Administration subsidized large housing developments with the requirement that none of the homes be sold to African Americans.

The FHA also refused to insure mortgages in and around black neighborhoods, pushing blacks into large urban housing projects. Passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 was meant to end the practice, but many suburban communities, including Pittsford, found a way around the law.

“What the town did at the time is really emphasize zoning laws… which means one house per acre or one house per half acre,” said Beckford. “So, if I’m a developer and I buy 40 acres, I can only put in 40 homes or 80 homes.”

Forced with the restriction of building fewer homes, developers priced each home at a higher price.

“So therefore, very few African Americans at the time were going to be making enough money to buy those homes because of this artificially inflated price around it,” said Beckford.

And he says those old zoning laws were exacerbated by new ones Pittsford passed later requiring more green space that limited the number of houses even more.

 “So now if you look at any of our new developments in Pittsford, you can see a 1,700 square foot single story ranch; it’s half a million dollars,” said Beckford.

I checked. I could find only one ranch for sale in a new Pittsford development. And the asking price of the 1900 square foot house is more than $640,000.

Beckford wanted to make Pittsford accessible to folks from more diverse income levels.  And to do that, zoning laws had to change allowing more homes on smaller lots.

“And so, when I offered up that amendment, I knew it would lose, but I did it anyway because I wanted history to look back at that moment and say when I had position, and power, and agency, I used it to create meaningful change,” said Beckford.

He says some were enraged by the proposal, so much so he started getting threats.

“I got the call the next day from my wife, and she said ‘Honey, our address is on social media.’”

He says it was on the neighborhood site, Nextdoor, And in the comment section was a post that included a clip of an interview with a 1960’s desegregationist who was predicting his eventual murder.

“As a change agent, I expect to be shot, killed or assassinated. something along those lines, something to that effect,” Beckford recalled the desegregationist in the video saying.

He saw that as a veiled death threat, as did Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter who placed deputies outside his home. But still, he remains optimistic about the future, organizing a series of educational celebrations of unity in Pittsford and continuing the fight for change.  His message to others who say they also value equity and inclusivity?

“People in Pittsford need to know, please don’t put a Black Lives Matter sign on your lawn if you’re not willing to do the work.” 

He says Democrats asked him to consider running for Pittsford Town Supervisor, but he says family members were concerned about his safety. Still, he says he’s committed to working for change, no matter the position he holds because he believes that his most important position is that of citizen.