Kendra London grew up in the historically Black Fifth Ward neighborhood in Houston, raised by her grandmother and the elders of their community. London thought she would one day become one of them, sitting on the porch and watching over her “village.” But a multi-billion highway project to expand Interstate 45 could displace Black residents in the Fifth Ward – a situation London calls “very painful and legalized theft.” More than 60 years ago, Black and Latino neighborhoods across the U.S. were destroyed to make way for the construction of the interstate highway system. Businesses were shuttered, places of worship close and an estimated one million people were displaced, according to former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx . Today, President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $1 billion to reconnect minority neighborhoods. The money will be distributed to states through block grants with local communities leading the way in how to use the money, according to the Biden administration. However, experts and advocates told USA TODAY more resources are still needed despite the historic investment. "When you look at the decades of compounded harm in these communities, the physical removal of a highway or the physical transformation of the highway alone simply won't be enough," said New York University law professor Deborah N. Archer. To read more, visit the link in our bio.