Spread the Word about Fair Housing Month
April is Fair Housing Month! Piedmont Housing Alliance is excited to kick off the month with an open event on Tuesday, April 9th. We will host a Fair Housing Month Training Session at Carver Recreation Center from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The session will provide a 2-hour continuing education credit for property managers and real estate agents who are working to increase their knowledge of Fair Housing law. The session is also open to the public and attendees will gain a better understand of their rights as tenants and homeowners.
Fair Housing month commemorates Congress passing the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which is commonly called the Fair Housing Act. The act was put in place to combat discriminatory housing practices based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status. Throughout the month of April we take time to recognize the advancements of equal housing access and assess how to push the goals of the Fair Housing Act forward. This year’s theme focuses on sexual harrassment in housing.
The Fair Housing Act applies to housing and housing-related activities including:
- Apartment and home rentals
- Mortgage lending
- Home owners insurance
- Real estate sales
If the date of its enactment sounds familiar, it should. It was signed into law shortly after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. President Lyndon Johnson used the national outcry following King’s death to push the bill forward and gain Congressional approval.
After his time working for civil rights in the southern United States, Dr. King turned his attention to the north and its unfair housing practices.
Since the 1966 open housing marches in Chicago, Dr. King’s name had been closely associated with the fair housing legislation and Johnson thought passage of the Act was a fitting way to honor his legacy.
Cities and counties across the country mark the month by hosting fair housing events and educating the public on their rights as tenants and property owners. We will be participating in various events throughout the month to help spread the word including the “House Party: Living with Our History of Housing” event at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center on April 6. We invite you to join us at both events to help us learn from the past and grow a future of fair housing for all.
