The legacy of redlining and housing discrimination has exacerbated California’s already devastating housing crisis for the Black community. In the decades that followed, Black residents in Oakland, where I live, created things as varied as the Black Panther Party to the musical and countercultural hyphy movement. The Black community in my beloved city of Oakland has often been on the forefront of radical and cutting-edge politics and culture. Poor access to credit, predatory financial practices, and the nuances of the Bay Area housing market make homeownership challenging for many of the region’s Black residents. In California, Black residents access 3% of home loans despite making up more than 5% of the population.