Seventy years after Brown v. Board, one town grapples with its divided schools.

ProPublica ProPublica <[link removed]> Donate <[link removed]>

The Big Story
Sat. May 18, 2024

<[link removed]>

Segregation Academies Still Operate Across the South. One Town Grapples With Its Divided Schools. <[link removed]> Seventy years after Brown v. Board, Black and white residents, in Camden, Alabama, say they would like to see their children schooled together. But after so long apart, they aren’t sure how to make it happen. by Jennifer Berry Hawes

VIEW STORY <[link removed]>

The Legacy of Segregation Academies <[link removed]> Join us to discuss how private schools known as “segregation academies” in the Deep South continue to preserve divisions within communities.

⚡ Impact From Our Reporting

Abdinoor Igal <[link removed]>
Abdinoor Igal said signing a contract for deed was the biggest mistake of his life. “They really took a very big advantage of me and my family.” (Dymanh Chhoun/Sahan Journal)

Two years ago when I met Abdinoor Igal, the young father was at the end of his rope. Abdinoor was one of dozens of members of the Somali Muslim community who bought homes in Minnesota using a financial instrument called a contract for deed <[link removed]> from a man named Chad Banken. There were red flags all over these contracts, but I was struggling to find someone who would let me tell their story. Buyers were embarrassed, or scared, or both. Abdinoor was the only person who said yes.

Abdinoor believed that the deal honored his faith’s restriction on paying or profiting from interest. But that wasn’t true. He was barely able to make the high payments each month and had exhausted every possible resource trying to find a way out. Late last year, Abdinoor surrendered the keys to Banken and walked away from the house and the $170,000 he put into the deal.

Our reporting showed how the contracts were setting families up for failure in a state with one of the worst racial home ownership gaps in the country, but I couldn’t promise Abdinoor that anything would come of him sharing his experience publicly. Then, on Monday, I was able to call Abdinoor and deliver news <[link removed]> he’d waited two years to hear: The Minnesota attorney general was about to file a lawsuit against Banken for violations of federal lending law and selling homes at higher prices and on worse terms to Muslim buyers. (Banken hasn’t responded to my requests for comment throughout this project.) For a moment, Abdinoor seemed to be in shock. “I’m really excited,” he said. “I can’t even believe how I’m feeling.”

—Jessica Lussenhop, Midwest reporter

More From Our Newsroom

Illinois School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn’t Vetted or Monitored <[link removed]> A state law was meant to help families by allowing the use of public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools around the country. But in solving one problem, lawmakers created another. by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards <[link removed]>

Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy <[link removed]> The city has violated a court order and its own policies by discarding the personal property of thousands of homeless people, who have lost medications, birth certificates, IDs, treasured family photos and the ashes of loved ones. by Nicole Santa Cruz <[link removed]>

Former Far-Right Hard-Liner Says Billionaires Are Using School Board Races to Sow Distrust in Public Education <[link removed]> The largesse from billionaires Tim Dunn and brothers Farris and Dan Wilks has made its way into local politics across Texas. Courtney Gore, a Republican school board member in Granbury, says it’s part of their strategy to build support for vouchers. by Jeremy Schwartz <[link removed]>

She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism. <[link removed]> Courtney Gore, a Granbury ISD school board member, has disavowed the far-right platform she campaigned on after finding no evidence that students were being indoctrinated by the district’s curriculum. Her defiance has brought her backlash. by Jeremy Schwartz <[link removed]>

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store’s Name Is Kept Secret <[link removed]> A 2003 law pushed by the gun industry limits the information shared by federal agents and shields gun shops from public scrutiny, but ProPublica was able to identify the store that sold the gun used in the shooting of a Chicago police officer. by Vernal Coleman, photography by Sarahbeth Maney <[link removed]>

Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Limit the Jail Detentions of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment <[link removed]> Supporters say the measure is a step forward in curbing the number of people jailed during civil commitment. But some local officials say the impact will be limited unless the state makes other changes, including adding psychiatric beds. by Kate Royals, Mississippi Today <[link removed]>

IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100 Million <[link removed]> The tax agency concluded in its long-running investigation that Trump effectively claimed the same massive write-off twice on his failed Chicago tower. by Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and Russ Buettner, The New York Times <[link removed]>

Georgia Promised to Fix How Voter Challenges Are Handled. A New Law Could Make the Problem Worse. <[link removed]> SB 189, which goes into effect in July, will give Georgia residents more time to contest the eligibility of fellow citizens’ inclusion on voter rolls and make it easier to use questionable evidence in those challenges. by Doug Bock Clark <[link removed]>

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere — Even at the UN’s “Plastic Free” Conference <[link removed]> At a conference meant to address the plastic crisis, pro-plastic messaging was inescapable. Meanwhile, industry insiders — some positioned as government delegates — were given access to vital negotiations. by Lisa Song <[link removed]>

How satisfied are you with today’s newsletter?

1 Not satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied

Find us on Facebook <[link removed]> Follow us on Twitter <[link removed]> Follow us on Instagram <[link removed]> Watch us on Youtube <[link removed]> Donate <[link removed]>

Get the ProPublica mobile app:
Download on the App Store <[link removed]> Get it on Google Play <[link removed]>
Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe. <[link removed]> Want less email? Click here if you only want to receive one ProPublica newsletter each week. This email was sent to [email protected]. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe <[link removed]> to stop receiving this newsletter. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. <[link removed]> ProPublica • 155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor • New York, NY 10013 <a href="[link removed]><img src="[link removed]" alt="" border="0" /></a>