The Moynihan Report, officially titled “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action,” was a controversial report published in 1965 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was then an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor. The report argued that the high incidence of poverty and social dysfunction among African Americans was due in part to the breakdown of the family structure, particularly the absence of fathers in many households. However, the report did not address the systemic racism and discrimination that had contributed to the economic and social marginalization of African Americans.
One of the key pieces of evidence that undermines the Moynihan report is the practice of redlining, which was a discriminatory lending practice that denied mortgages and other financial services to African Americans and other minority groups. Redlining was officially sanctioned by the federal government through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which refused to insure mortgages in predominantly African American neighborhoods, effectively preventing African Americans from buying homes and building wealth.
The FHA’s actions directly contributed to the economic and social marginalization of African Americans, as homeownership is a key driver of wealth accumulation and social mobility. By denying African Americans access to homeownership and other financial services, the FHA perpetuated the cycle of poverty and social dysfunction that the Moynihan report sought to address.
Moreover, the evidence of redlining and other discriminatory practices undermines the Moynihan report’s argument that the breakdown of the family structure was the primary cause of poverty and social dysfunction among African Americans. Instead, the evidence suggests that systemic racism and discrimination played a significant role in perpetuating inequality and marginalization.