Bernadette Atuahene discusses research from her recent publication at Yolo County Library

Atuahene outlined findings from her new book ‘Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America’

By MICHELLE BEKHTEL— city@theaggie.org

Legal scholar Bernadette Atuahene spoke at the Yolo County Library on Feb. 25 about her new book, “Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America,” presenting research on Detroit’s property tax foreclosure crisis. The event was hosted by Thomas Joo, a professor at UC Davis School of Law.

Atuahene, a professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, described findings from years of ethnographic research conducted in Detroit. Her work focused on how property tax administration contributed to widespread home loss among Black residents.

Detroit illegally overassessed 53% to 84% of homes each year between 2009 and 2015, violating the Michigan Constitution’s property assessment limit, according to Atuahene. A Detroit News investigation later estimated that homeowners were overtaxed by at least $600 million during that period.

Atuahene explained that many residents lost fully paid‑off inherited homes due to inflated tax bills. 

“Individual efforts are no match for broken systems,” Atuahene said.

She highlighted stories of those who were qualified for a poverty tax exemption, but were unable to access it due to administrative barriers. 

“Tens of thousands of people were charged taxes they were never supposed to be paying,” Atuahene said.

During the talk, Atuahene also outlined what she described as “racist policies” that shaped Detroit’s housing landscape, including redlining, racial covenants, blockbusting and urban renewal. She contrasted the experiences of two families from her research — one African American and one Italian American — to illustrate how these policies produced divergent outcomes despite similar economic starting points.

“What’s visible is the Black community,” Atuahene said. “What’s invisible are the layers and layers of policies that undermined their ability to build and retain wealth.”

Atuahene also discussed her work as a co‑founder of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice, a Detroit‑based group that advocates for homeowners affected by overassessment. She said the coalition has helped halt approximately 13,000 tax foreclosures since 2020 and has assisted more than 1,000 residents in securing federal relief funds. The group has also secured $6 million in compensation from the City of Detroit, according to Atuahene.

“This is just the beginning,” Atuahene said. “If residents were overtaxed by $600 million, then $6 million is nowhere near enough.”

During the Q&A portion of the event, audience members shared personal experiences with housing discrimination. One audience member spoke about a time when she and her Black partner moved to a neighborhood in Massachusetts, and had begun to receive countless hateful voicemails. They were later able to track down the voicemails and the source was from a single household in which neighbors would collect to send out the voicemails. The police were contacted to assist the issue, and the pair stopped receiving the calls.

In response, Atuahene emphasized that individual prejudice often reflects broader policy structures. 

“This hatred was manufactured,” Atuahene said. “It’s because of the federal government and red lining, where the very presence of Black people could reduce property values. If we understand that the way America likes to understand this, it is individual hateful people, right? That’s not the way to understand this. There are certain racist policies that manufactured the reason they didn't want Black people in their homes.”

Atuahene emphasized a focus on systemic factors, rather than narratives of personal failure. She concluded her talk with a call to action.

 “Those of us who care about justice have to make the invisible visible,” Atuanene said.

By Michelle Bekhtel—city@theaggie.org