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Segregation Helped Build Fortunes. What Does Philanthropy Owe Now?

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In early 1926, Cafritz Construction placed an advertisement in The Washington Post celebrating the speed with which their “Life-time Homes” were selling in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC. Regular readers of the newspaper were likely already familiar with the development thanks to news articles that praised Morris Cafritz’s “vision and courage” and a constant stream of advertisements bringing his over 3,000 new units to market. Four years prior, Cafritz had purchased an over 38-block plot of land in a previously wooded part of town and promised to regrade the hilly landscape, pave roadways, and build houses at prices affordable to DC residents of moderate means.


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