Some architecture may be a marvel to look at, but what lies beneath beautiful construction is often something insidious. Architect and activist Carl Anthony explains how architecture functions as a tool of oppression in a new interview with Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges.

Anthony, whose latest book, “The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race,” delves into the history of environmental exploitation and urban disinvestment, tells how the enslavement of African-Americans continues through architecture and explains how modern city planning caters to the rich and ignores the neediest people. Hedges summarizes: “Architecture was manipulated to reinforce white supremacy.”

“We find this kind of articulation in the way buildings are designed, the way that they are planned, the way that they are built and who is credited for designing and building them,” Anthony says. “Every step in the fabrication of our understanding of architecture is also poisoned, really, with this kind of hidden narrative of race.”

Watch the full interview in the player above.

–Posted by Emma Niles

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#activism#architecture#environment#interview#national#on contact with chris hedges#oppression#race#social justice#usa#video