Good Parents, Better Homes, and Great Schools: Selling Segregation before the New Deal

by Karen Benjamin

Good Parents, Better Homes, and Great Schools examines how white residential developers, planning consultants, and their allies in government strategically replaced block-level segregation with segregation at the neighborhood level in New South cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Houston, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem. Going beyond the well-known Home Owners' Loan Corporation maps of the 1930s, Karen Benjamin traces segregation tactics back to the late nineteenth century, when this public-private partnership laid the groundwork for the nationwide segregation strategies codified by the New Deal.

This book links the tactics of residential and school segregation to prevailing middle-class ideas about what constitutes good parenting, ensuring the longevity of both practices. By focusing on efforts that specifically targeted parents, Benjamin not only adds a new dimension to the history of residential segregation but also helps explain why that legacy has been so difficult to undo.

440 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

I live in the beautiful hills of La Mesa, California. I have always enjoyed writing, but as a navy wife and working mother of two, there was never enough time. The kids are grown now, the husband is semi-retired, and writing the kind of stories I love to read has become a reality. To me, reading a well written romance is the equivalent of popping my favorite chocolate into my mouth. Writing one is to savor each bite. Satisfaction without the calories. It totally works for me!

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This timely and important book explains how real estate interests drove segregation. The interaction between public and private interests is fascinating -- as are the remarkable images from advertisements showing "good" white families contemplating the new home that will allow them to segregate their children. Written without jargon and easy to follow the historical narrative.

[Nicholas Piro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent breakdown of the cultural reasons for suburbanization. It focuses on "good schools" and racial stereotyping as a catalyst for white flight- in essence, the "why" for suburbanization. This is an in-depth prelude to redlining- the "how" of suburbanization. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in urban development history who cares about doing restorative work in urban centers.