Title VII of The Civil Rights Act of 1968: The Fair Housing Act

Before 1968 it was still very legal for a white real estate agent or property owner to simply refuse a person of color's offers to buy a piece of land or home. Therefore housing segregation was in full force with blacks living in one neighborhood and white people living in another one. 

Also during this time were the horrible acts of redlining. Redlining was a horrible practice of racism where certain helpful services would be denied to people who lived in certain areas. The name redlining came from the maps that were viewed by wealthy loan issuers that had the neighborhoods of colored people outlined in red. This meant that this circled section was a very low-income area. Also, it was almost always full of colored people. One of the main issues was that people in these red areas could not receive various types of loans from banks.

A map of Brooklyn with certain areas in red signaling low-income black neighborhoods 

Some of the examples of discrimination before this act were passed mostly consisted of race reasons. Reasons like a white man didn't want to do business with a black man or they would lie to them and say that the house was not for sale when it very well is. Another common practice was when the white male selling the house or property did not want a black person in their neighborhood they would direct them to an area with other black people. 

This halted the movement of colored individuals in the never-ending journey to be equal with white folk. The discrimination in housing made for black people to have to raise their families and live their lives in much poorer areas than white people. This made for much tougher paths for a black man to be successful in the booming U.S. economy at the time.

Fair housing protests

All of that started to come to subside in 1968 when title VII was added to the Civil Rights Act and it ended banned discrimination in the housing market. Which evidently banned the idea of redlining. The Fair Housing Act it is called and it prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, financing, or advertisement of housing. Not only to a racial extent but to gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and more. 

President Johnson signing the Civil RIghts Act of 1964 which eventually added title VIII the Fair Housing Act

This was a huge stepping stone for non-white Americans because it allowed them to live in the same townships and neighborhoods as white people. Many sellers in the south or in large cities still refused to sell or finance black people. Not until 1988 did the U.S. decide to enforce this rule by assigning certain organizations to take charge if there is still segregation going on. Associations like the Department of Urban Housing and Development (HUD) and the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) really helped in making a real change. 

Housing discrimination is still very prevalent today. The poor communities in and outside of major cities are largely populated by minorities. This is an effect of hundreds of years of racism and segregation and also redlining. 

My opinion is pretty obvious and it's that America constantly tries to fix its problems from the past. A whole war was fought between the north and south of this country over slavery where hundreds of thousands of Americans died we are still facing the consequences. With segregation following it African-Americans have always had a tag of inferiority in this country. It feels like in today's world both sides are equal but white people can never seem to escape their brutal past of discrimination. I would say that in a hundred years things would be much better but I bet that's what the citizens of America said in 1922.

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Housing discrimination causes generational wealth gap between White and Black Americans (YouTube Video)

The Beginning of Powerful Black Men in Cinema

One of the movie posters for In the Heat of the Night

 In the Heat of the Night was very moving to me and definitely my favorite movie we've watched so far. Not just because this was the most recent film produced or the best acting so far, but because of the plot and the various twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. 

The movie takes place in the small southern town of Sparta, Mississippi in the 1960s. This town very clearly hasn't changed much since the slavery/segregation era and it takes a toll on the main character. Detective Virgil Tibbs from Philadelphia is an African-American homicide specialist played by Sidney Poitier. 

Detective Tibbs is waiting at the train station for his ride out of Sparta as officer Sam Wood racially profiles him and detains him as a suspect in the murder of Phillip Colbert, a beloved wealthy businessman. After he's proven innocent from a phone call to his boss from Philadelphia he is assigned to help out the police in Sparta to solve this murder.

Detective Tibbs and Police Cheif Gillespie

Tibbs was very on edge about helping them because of their racist tendencies but it ends up working out. Seeing how Tibbs brushes off all of the prejudiced judgments about him was fascinating to watch. 

The scene that really stuck out to me was when Tibbs and Police Chief Bill Gillespie investigate a plantation owner because of his known objection to the murder suspect. Tibbs gets into an argument with him and returns a slap to his cheek after the plantation owner slaps him first. 

This was really jaw-dropping because his African-American butler behind him is in awe and following Tibbs and Gillespie's departure, the plantation owner began to cry. What I ended up learning with follow-up research was that that was the first time a black man ever slapped a white man in movie history.

This just goes to show how drastic the change was for so many people during the time of integration. That plantation owner probably thought the last person to ever physically hurt him would be a black man.

In the end, this movie played a great role in the movement for civil rights in the country after all of the controversial scenes like the one I just explained above. Finally, it was also a very well-directed movie with great acting and an interesting spin at the end.

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Reax of Brown V Board of Education

 I always knew that there were so many different parts of slavery and segregation in American history that stunted African Americans. Now learning how clearly different people and court cases correlate with each other is truly fascinating. Although it is fascinating it is also upsetting learning about how many times the U.S repeated history

The Plessy V Ferguson case is a perfect example. How it took the U.S's greatest minds fifty-eight years to figure out that separating the two races was unconstitutional is mind-boggling. Obviously, it was a different era and things were much different, but in the end, it was the same constitution. 

Even though the effects of segregation still affect black people today it seems like things have gotten better. Though it makes me wonder how there are still areas in this nation filled with black people that are much less meager in opportunities. 

I think about places near my home in Philadelphia, PA like the town right outside of Philadelphia called Kensington. It is located in North East Philadelphia and it is a horrible place to live because of the crime opioid problem, and low opportunities. Some people in the city even call it zombie land because of the number of insane drug addicts walking around. 

One of the most prolific homeless spots in Kensington, PA 

I also learned that in 2021 African Americans made up 13% of the population however they make up 40% of the homeless population. That is a prime example of generational racism and systematic racism. As well as the horrible idea of redlining which placed African Americans in these already poor communities with no choice. 

In the end, the Brown V Board gave a great advancement for the black community however the racism never ends, and the hate never ends. It's not like this is solely for black people though, it happens to every race today because people in this world don't know how to treat everyone with respect and they never have. It is hard to even imagine a world in the future where no one gets mistreated because of the color of their skin. 

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Brown V The Board of Education; The Start of Integration In America

 Before 1954 the United States had segregation put in place in just about every public accommodation. Schools, bathrooms, seating at baseball games, and much more were separated into two sides, black and white. This was all the result of the infamous trial of Plessy V Ferguson and the start of "separate but equal." 

Even after the result of the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery black people were no were close to the same level as white people. With the constant label of inferiority put on every African American, it was so difficult for them to raise their family in the world. 

Anybody who was around these times could see that the two races were definitely separate but they were not equal. White people were still far superior during these times in almost every facet. Everything that was labeled 'white was far more properly kept and advanced than anything labeled for black people or during those times it was labeled "colored." Eventually, African-Americans had enough of it and started with their children in school. 

Two drastically different water fountains labeled "white and "colored"

Linda Brown was the name in the Brown V Board of Education trial which took place from 1951-1954 mostly in Topeka, Kansas. The petitioners fighting for desegregation argued on behalf of the equal protection clause. This made sense because the U.S was in a time of "separate but equal" and their argument was, that in terms of educational grounds both sides were far from equal. Deeming that this was also unconstitutional. 

As stated, the white sides of things were always much neater and taken care of. Black schools at the time had horrible conditions on the inside and out. The schools rarely had desks and if they did there were not enough to accompany every student. The classrooms were insanely crowded with a horrible teacher-to-student ratio. Lastly, the government clearly funded the white schools much more.

The different classrooms of the two races

Brown also argued that if the two races can fight in wars side by side then why can't they learn about it together. It was also stated that the whole Plessy V Ferguson argument was unconstitutional as well and that it should be redacted, and it eventually was.

The outcome of this trial was a unanimous violation of the 14th amendment and it ended segregation in schools in America. This also was during the Civil Rights Movement in America and it was a great stepping stone for it. Although things didn't get fixed right away it was still a very monumental trial and outcome for the black community in America

A breathtaking picture of a mother with her child on courthouse steps after the verdict was released from Brown V Board

As most know the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s was a huge success for minorities in  America. Though it was it still feels like things haven't changed in this country and that black people are still inferior. It seems like a problem that continues to get solved then nothing happens. 

In the end, Plessy V Ferguson's verdict was the start of the horrible segregated times in America. Though the country made a correcting verdict in Brown V Board. Though it makes you think that this country tends to never learn from its history.

 I found this case to be truly inspiring while also very depressing. The fact that so many different communities came together to end segregation is one of those few moments in American history that make you smile. However, you always have to think about how after slavery black people spent almost 100 years being horribly mistreated still. The abolishment of slavery still didn't solve the constant beating and mistreatment of the African American race. Brown V Board did not fully solve this either but it was a proud moment of getting there by starting the process of desegregation.

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