Have you ever thought about your living conditions? What would happen if you were not allowed to rent or purchase a home where you wanted? Or what if we were not allowed to buy a home at all?
The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. After fighting the battle to end racial discrimination and achieve civil rights, Dr. Martin Luther King shifted his focus to implementing laws–that would ensure that Civil Rights were made available to all human beings regardless of their race. This began what many recognize as the fight for human rights. Human rights are the basic, everyday privileges that many people take for granted today, but were rights that African Americans didn’t have. Things such as the ability to go into a store and walk through the front door–instead of going to the back door. The ability to use public bathrooms that were not segregated. The right to exercise your right to vote, and even the right to buy or rent a house wherever you want to live.
These were rights that many African-American citizens did not have and are what they fought so hard to get during the Civil Rights Movement. While the Civil Rights Act made it legal and deemed that African-Americans should have these rights, it did not mean that people would accept the law and change. In fact, it didn’t happen then and is still has not happened today.
As many of our young men know, while we have a right to go to any store, we are still followed and made to feel less than other shoppers. In addition, there are still communities where you can purchase a home, but you still might find a burning cross in front of your property with a note saying you are not welcome. It happens.
This is what happened after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Things didn’t change, and people were still discriminated against, especially when it came to housing. In fact, with regard to housing, during the late 60s, while many African Americans and minorities were in the Armed Services, fighting in wars and also working for the United States, their families were discriminated against and were not allowed to move into certain sections of many cities. And when African Americans and minorities did not follow suit and moved into these restricted areas, they were faced with hostility and violence.
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