missoyashirou:

copperbadge:

theambassadorposts:

Signal boost

99% Invisible just did a great piece on Sears and how they also functioned to equalize home ownership for people of color in America, because you could get A MORTGAGE AND A HOUSE through the mail. It’s called The House That Came In The Mail and it’s a wonderful history of Sears Roebuck homes as well. 

It also highlights how absolutely ridiculous racism can be. 

Imagine being so obsessed with if a black person can buy a goddamn nice piece of furniture that you burn catalogs and ban people from buying stamps and make an entire production about the evils of a department store. Because now Mrs. Freeman from a town over who you will never meet can have a nice couch or the Waldens can get a house or a nice newly married couple can have dishes. 

And because you can’t make them wait in line for two hours and force them to stare at racist caricatures or call them horrid slurs, you now have to do everything in your power to destroy Sears catalogs. To the point where Sears has to develop means to distribute catalogs that won’t cross your insane, bigoted hands.