The Fair Housing Act was signed into law 55 years ago this month – 56 years ago, it was legal to redline races and tell protected classes where they could/could not live.
WASHINGTON – The month of April is Fair Housing Month, a yearly celebration that same month Pres. Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act (FHA) into law 55 years ago.
The FHA became law in April 1968, as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, a landmark piece of legislation. But the April signing also has a link to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., because Johnson signed the bill creating the FHA one week after King’s assassination in a tribute to King’s fight for housing equality.
The Fair Housing Act has expanded over the years. It now prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability and familial status.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a webpage dedicated to the April celebration at hud.gov/FHM.
HUD resources on the Fair Housing Act
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