Creating or producing something extremely successful and popular, especially in entertainment; or historically, using intimidation to convince white residents to sell houses to Black families at low prices.
Present participle of 'blockbust.' As a real estate term, emerged in the 1950s-60s, combining 'block' (city block) with the predatory practice of 'busting' neighborhoods through racial panic selling.
Blockbusting was one of the cruelest housing discrimination tactics in America—unscrupulous real estate agents would panic white neighborhoods by claiming Black families were moving in, driving property values down so they could buy cheap and sell high.
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