In the late 1950s to 70s the federal government sponsored highway renewal projects that prove to remove “urban blight” through juridical terms like eminent domain and connect the white suburbs to the city. These projects occurred nationwide in places like Philadelphia, Boston, Syracuse, and specifically Buffalo, NY, where the NY33 Kensington highway subsequently divided the existing minority and immigrant neighborhoods through an excavated highway. During its construction, roughly 2,000 people lost their homes, a number that does not yet account for the effect on future generations. Combined with contemporary racist practices in real estate and banking, and air pollution from cars, these events have devastated the neighborhood, contributing to loss of local black owned businesses, land ownership, political city power, and the loss of home.