This month marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act by the US Congress. This statute made it possible for people of all races, creeds, and nationalities to legally own a home in any neighborhood. Racial segregation in housing has long been a challenge in urban communities. Challenged by local protestors in cities across the country, the Congress finally responded following the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the subsequent riots. This, by far, was the most contentious of the three civil rights statutes, including the Public Accomodations Act of 1964, Civil Rights of Act of 1964. The Fair Housing Act challenged the white-only suburbs that surround many major American cities. Following the passage of the Fair Housing Act, codified obstacles to to housing discrimination were made illegal.
This panel will focus on the persistence of racial discimination in the home buying process. Our speakers will examine the multiple facets of this issues, bringing their diverse expertise to this topic. We are pleased to have john powell - a nationally recoginzed expert on civil rights currently at the University of California, Berkeley - who will discuss national strucutral issues surrounding racism in the housing market. Hal Martin of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland will discuss how the new age of red-lining has been incorporated into the electronic application process. We will also hear from a prominent African-American realtor in Cleveland, Henry Stoudermire, who deals with the modern challenges of red-lining.
This is sure to be an exciting and interesting forum. Please note that this forum will be held in the Moot Court Room at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. This is where our February Brown Bag was held and allows us to accomodate more people.
If you have any questions, please contact Beth Fry (bfry@organizeohio.org)