Race and segregation in the American housing market
Norman Rockwell’s famous 1967 painting New Kids in the Neighborhood portrays three white children and two black children looking at each other as the possessions of the black family are unloaded into their new suburban home. Lurking behind the drapes of the house next door is the concerned face of a man who appears apprehensive of the changes taking place in his neighborhood. These tensions between the fears of some and the hopes of many are reflected in the story of the federal Fair Housing Act, signed into law by President Johnson one year later.
Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, documentation has exposed the many causes and consequences of housing discrimination and segregation in America. At the same time, significant progress has been made in combatting these issues. With many people of color moving to the suburbs and some white families moving back to the city, few suburbs today are solely white. But as American society evolves, so too do fair housing challenges, and recent studies suggest that divisions in the nation’s housing markets persist.
The Fight for Fair Housing brings together the nation’s leading fair housing activists and scholars (many of whom are in both camps) to tell the stories that led to the passage of the Fair Housing Act, its consequences, and the implications of the act going forward.
Gregory D. Squires is a professor of sociology and public policy and public administration at George Washington University. Currently he is a member of the Advisory Board of the John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center in Chicago, the Fair Housing Task Force of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Social Science Advisory Board of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council in Washington, D.C. He has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board’s Consumer Advisory Council and as a staff member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Visit the book page at: http://ow.ly/R2Su30gdHIl
New book studies depression in the legal profession
Law students and lawyers report having a significantly higher rate of depression than the general population. When left untreated, depression can affect lawyers and their clients, families, friends and colleagues. In addition to the effects of mental health conditions on a lawyer’s personal life, depression can lead to substantial disciplinary issues that threaten an attorney’s ability to practice law. Unfortunately, for many struggling with the burden of depression, it is only when they reach their breaking point, or encounter unavoidable professional consequences, that they reach out for assistance.
A new book published by the American Bar Association, “The Full Weight of the Law: How Legal Professionals Can Recognize and Rebound from Depression,” is written to help the legal professional recognize the symptoms of depression before they reach that breaking point. Many negative consequences could be avoided if the problems that cause depression in a lawyer’s life and career are resolved early.
Authors Shawn Healy, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Fortgang, Ph.D., work directly with lawyers, law students and judges who are suffering from depression. In this book, they offer hope through practical, realistic recommendations that help lawyers and the people who care about them understand the causes and symptoms of depression, various forms of treatment and how to help a lawyer who may suffer from depression.
Topics covered in the 200-page book include:
• Causes of depression
• Diagnosing depression: What it is and what it isn’t
• Medical and psychological treatments for the depressed lawyer
• Depression versus burnout versus vicarious traumatization
• Tips for managing common triggers
• Resilience and depression
Fortgang graduated from Yale in 1971 and completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Adelphi University’s Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies in 1980. Licensed as both a psychologist and alcohol/drug counselor, he has held positions and directed clinical programs at several Boston-area hospitals and clinics, and served as an instructor in psychology in the Department of Psychiatry of Harvard Medical School. Since 1998, he has divided his time between private practice and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, the Massachusetts lawyer assistance program.
Healy received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2006 from Suffolk University in Boston, where he focused most of his research on conflict resolution. During graduate school, Healy taught a wide variety of undergraduate psychology courses at several colleges in the greater Boston area. Since 2014, he has worked full time at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, the Massachusetts lawyer assistance program, while also dedicating as much time as possible to playing with his small children.
“The Full Weight of the Law: How Legal Professionals Can Recognize and Rebound from Depression” costs $59.95 and can be ordered online at ShopABA.org or by calling 1-800-285-221.
