Reflection on “House Rules” Talking about race, racism, and segregation can get a little uncomfortable and complicated, but it's an important part of the lives of many people living in the United States today. We tend to compartmentalize racism into this horrible thing of the past, but it is definitely still at work in modern America. This American Life podcast addressed some of the issues that still affect a large portion of the population for no other reason than the color of their skin. Even with the passage of the Fair Housing Act, racial discrimination in housing persists. This contributes to racial segregation and this in turn affects the quality of schools available to different parts of the population. In areas where black communities are highly segregated, schools typically have less funding. I can't believe people would still do this. This course and podcast definitely expands my world and makes me understand what different people have to deal with, based on their race and/or socioeconomic class and it really sucks for some people. One thing that struck me is that segregation is definitely more about race and not just a group not making enough money to live in the "nicer" parts of town. It was pointed out in the podcast that even if an African American family earns double what the average white family earns in a year, they still live in a poorer neighborhood. We cannot look at these statistics and continue to assert that there is no racial segregation. I have always had an interest in education, not in teaching, but in how a school is run. I'm really glad we're talking about the inequalities that exist in the school system because understanding what's wrong is the first step to solving the problem and I hope I can be part of the solution in the future.