Immaculate Heart Students Engage in Redlining Simulation with Tzedek America Foundation
On February 11, Immaculate Heart Middle School students participated in a powerful interactive workshop led by the Tzedek America Foundation. The program, titled Lines That Shaped Los Angeles: A Historical Simulation on Housing and Wealth, provided students with an immersive experience to understand the historical and lasting effects of redlining and housing discrimination in the United States.
Through the simulation, students examined how federal housing policies from the 20th century—such as redlining, blockbusting, racially restrictive covenants, and urban renewal—segregated American cities and contributed to racial wealth disparities. By role-playing as homebuyers within a structured activity, students experienced first hand the systemic barriers that prevented non-White families and other minority groups from achieving social mobility and gaining generational wealth.
“The Redlining Simulation gave our students a unique opportunity to engage in history in a deeply personal way,” said Gina Finer, Immaculate Heart Middle School Principal. “This activity is part of an ongoing study conducted in our eighth-grade theology classes to understand injustice and learn about the unhoused population in Los Angeles. In preparation for this unit, our students visited Downtown LA’s Skid Row neighborhood with Tzedek America this fall, where they witnessed first hand the struggles that our unhoused population faces each day.
During the simulation workshop, students were divided into two groups: one benefiting from housing and bank loans, and another experiencing the challenges of discrimination, including lack of access to bank services. Next they were given craft materials to construct homes, monthly paychecks to purchase more supplies, and the simple instruction to build the most beautiful home possible. Students then navigated the economic realities that mirrored historical practices, encountering obstacles such as continued restricted access to banks, urban renewal displacement, and inequitable resource distribution. The simulation concluded with a reflective debriefing, allowing students to connect their experience to modern housing inequalities and explore ways to create a more just society.
Tzedek America, an organization dedicated to social justice education, facilitated the workshop with the goal of fostering empathy, awareness, and activism among young students. By learning about the activism that fought against these policies, Immaculate Heart students were encouraged to think critically about solutions to systemic inequities. Many of these students also participated in a five-day Civil Rights Journey to the American South led by the team at Tzedek America over their recent winter break, further informing their understanding of the power of activism to combat inequality.
“I believe that emotions move the needle when it comes to social justice. Yet so often, we teach history without allowing students to truly feel it. When a student comes to this realization when they say, ‘This isn’t fair!’ from the depths of their soul rather than just reciting facts from a page—they don’t just remember what they’ve learned. They begin to see the world through a new lens, questioning their role in making it a better place for everyone,” said Avram Mandell, Executive Director and Founder of Tzedek America.
Immaculate Heart remains committed to providing educational experiences that empower students to engage with social justice issues. By partnering with organizations like Tzedek America, the school continues to cultivate thoughtful and informed young leaders dedicated to creating a more equitable future—young women of great heart and right conscience ready to stand for their beliefs and shape a better tomorrow.
About Immaculate Heart
Founded in 1906, Immaculate Heart Middle & High School is a Catholic, independent college preparatory school for young women in grades 6-12, located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. Immaculate Heart provides a rigorous academic program while fostering leadership, service, and social justice. Learn more at immaculateheart.org.
About Tzedek America
Tzedek America is a nonprofit organization that offers immersive social justice education programs for students. Through interactive experiences, Tzedek America empowers young people to understand systemic inequalities and take meaningful action for a more just society.
