The April 11, 2024 piece by By Andrew W. Kahrl is titled "It’s Time to End the Quiet Cruelty of Property Taxes" April 11, 2024 Dr. Andrew Kahrl is a professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia and the author of “The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America.” He cited Harris Public Policy research on property taxes in a New York Times Op-ed entitled "It’s Time to End the Quiet Cruelty of Property Taxes." A recent report by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy found that property assessments were regressive (meaning lower-valued properties were assessed higher relative to value than higher-valued ones) in 97.7 percent of U.S. counties. Black-owned homes and properties in Black neighborhoods continue to be devalued on the open market, making this regressive tax, in effect, a racist tax. Faculty Spotlight Christopher Berry William J. and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor; Director, Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation Christopher R. Berry is the William J. and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the College. He is the academic director of the Center for Municipal Finance. He studies metropolitan governance and the politics of public finance. Upcoming Events More events Harris Autumn Campus Visit Wed., November 12, 2025 | 9:15 AM Harris School of Public Policy (The Keller Center) 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States Military Affiliated Communities Roundtable Discussion Wed., November 12, 2025 | 12:00 PM Conversations Before Midnight Wed., November 12, 2025 | 6:00 PM The Blackstone Hotel 636 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60605 United States