Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University alumna Selena Burks-Rentschler has a talent for working on award-winning documentary films that tackle thought-provoking issues in the community.
On her latest project, the ThinkTV documentary “Redlining: Mapping Inequality in Dayton and Springfield,” Burks-Rentschler worked as associate producer. The documentary won an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy in September.
The documentary tells the national and local story of redlining, a practice that embedded racial segregation and inequality into the development of American cities and suburbs.
Burks-Rentschler felt it was important to tell this story and educate others.
“I learned so much about redlining and the government’s role in mapping our segregated cities and suburbs, which left many people of color, specifically Black Americans, with little to no options for accessing the American dream,” said Burks-Rentschler, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Motion Pictures from Wright State in 2003.
Redlining maps, introduced in the 1930s, delineated risk areas for federally backed mortgages and home-ownership programs. Risk was determined almost entirely by race. Neighborhoods where no loans would be made were outlined in red, or literally “redlined.”
