Fair Housing Act

In 1968 it was approved the Fair Housing Act. It consisted of the prohibition of discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Intended as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it caused a great debate in the Senate but was quickly approved by the House of Representatives. Why? After the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr there was a lot of pressure to finally accept the act. The Fair Housing Act stands as the final great legislative achievement of the civil rights era. But it wasn´t as «easy» as it seems. There were a lot of struggles even when ignoring the renting part of the problem. African Americans and other minorities were excluded from certain sections of the cities, and if they resisted, they would probably suffer from hostility and even violence. Despite Supreme Court decisions to outlaw this law, families that were part of minorities still had trouble renting or purchasing homes in certain residential areas because of their race or national origin. In the Senate, Senator Edward, the first African-American ever to be elected to the Senate by popular vote, spoke about his personal experience with the mentioned problem and brought attention to the theme. His words were crucial to the approval of the Title VIII of the proposed Civil Rights Act, also known as the Fair Housing Act. Concluding, the truth is that without the important intervention of Senator Edward and Martin Luther King (given that his death was also a major factor for the approval of this law) maybe Afro Americans and other minorities could have been until today excluded from certain places only because of their race. So we really should appreciate is legacy and remember their brave acts every time Human Rights might be in danger.

João Neves