Fifty years ago, after many years of struggle, litigation, blood, sweat and many tears President Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law, one week after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately the enactment of the law, then and now, did not remove all the barriers to Democracy in Housing for Black Americans.
Dr. King and others challenged the nation to address the problem that too often predominantly Black, low-to moderate income neighborhoods are plagued with dilapidated properties and limited opportunities for homeownership. Dr. King so eloquently spoke of how the US granted predominantly white settlers and immigrants land under the Homestead Act. As we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act on April 11th, let’s not forget the unfinished business of Democracy Housing.