An Afternoon with Bernadette Atuahene

Uncover the hidden history of racial inequality in American housing. Join Books & Books in Coral Gables on Sunday, March 23, for an insightful conversation with Bernadette Atuahene, author of Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America. This free event provides an opportunity to engage with a Harvard- and Yale-trained property law scholar whose work sheds light on the systemic barriers facing Black families in America. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

In Plundered, Atuahene uses the contrasting stories of two grandfathers—one white, one Black—who moved to Detroit at the turn of the 20th century to examine how racist policies have undermined Black homeownership and widened the racial wealth gap. Drawing from years of research and storytelling, the book uncovers a system of predatory governance that has exploited Black homeowners through discriminatory practices, such as property tax foreclosures, to generate public funds. Atuahene’s work illustrates how these policies have devastated communities while benefiting those who profit from inequity.

A professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Atuahene has extensive experience in property law, including her time as a judicial clerk at South Africa’s Constitutional Court and her work on the country’s Land Claims Commission. Her scholarship, including the award-winning We Want What’s Ours, has been featured in academic journals and outlets like The New York Times.