Study finds racial discrimination in D.C. housing market

Black women with criminal records are treated less fairly than their white counterparts when looking for housing in Washington, D.C., according to a new study.

The Equal Rights Center tested 60 housing providers in D.C. and Northern Virginia by having black and white women apply for rental properties. The women applying for housing disclosed that they had either a “college-age felony arrest for drug possession from at least seven years ago” or a “larceny conviction from at least 11 years ago that was related to a long-term abusive relationship.”