April is National Fair Housing Month
April 4, 1968. The time managed to inch past 6 P.M. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated on his hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.
His life, driven by non-violence and peace, was ended by a fatal act of hatred. Riots ensued around the country, fueled by anger, frustration, and grief. Civil rights progress appeared to - once more - be nothing but a dream.
Fifty-three years later, April is recognized as National Fair Housing Month: a celebration of the law prohibiting housing discrimination due to race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status, and national origin. As of February 2021, in response to President Biden’s executive order combating sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development broadened the Fair Housing Act. The LGBTQIA community is now specifically protected against housing discrimination and has the opportunity to report jurisdictional complaints to HUD for prompt investigation.
Read more about the latest fair housing initiative here:
https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_21_021
How did we get here?
How did a bill, regularly debated and pushed aside by Congress, manage to become a law The day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, was the day the Fair Housing Act would once again be burned by a merciless Senate vote. But this time, President Lyndon B. Johnson stuck his hand in the pot. He was shaken by the death of the civil rights leader and pervading violence across the country. In an effort to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s revolutionary life as an advocate for fair housing practices and basic civil rights, the President pushed Congress to pass the Fair Housing Act on April 10th.
But we must not forget: all legislation is written on a very thin piece of paper.
Housing discrimination did not end in 1968. According to a study conducted by the Urban Institute (Housing Discrimination against Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2012: Full Report), Hispanic and African-American people continue to face unequal treatment in both rental and sales markets. For instance, real estate agents and rental housing providers alike may show fewer homes to minority consumers in comparison to their white counterparts. HUD reports similar treatment towards same-sex couples and transgender house hunters. Facing unequal treatment in comparison to straight or cisgender counterparts, many people continue to face housing discrimination due to sexual orientation or gender identity. Restricting housing options is one of many surreptitious practices continuing housing discrimination.
Safe, decent, and affordable housing is a human right. Housing discrimination against any person is impermissible. As members of our communities, we are responsible for educating ourselves and ending modern-day housing discrimination.
Join the fight this National Fair Housing Month by visiting https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/ for more information and tools.
Do you feel as though your housing rights have been violated?
File a complaint at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint
Resources:
Turner, Margery Austin, et al. “Housing Discrimination against Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2012: Full Report.” Urban Institute, 4 May 2020, www.urban.org/research/publication/housing-discrimination-against-racial-and-ethnic-minorities-2012-full-report
Thank you to Lucy Dineen, CSPNJ’s Social Media Intern, for sourcing and contributing to this blogpost.
