50 years later, little change since Fair Housing Act, Diocesan official says


YOUNGSTOWN

Days after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., the country’s mood had changed dramatically enough to fast-track the passage of legislation that promised to provide a major step forward in ending housing segregation.

A half-century later, however, much remains to be done to tackle the problem, an activist contends.

“Although it’s the 50th anniversary, not much has changed,” Adrienne Curry said, referring to what she sees as the state of housing discrimination since the passage of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act.

Curry, the Diocese of Youngstown’s social-action director, provided a history of the legislation President Lyndon Johnson signed into law April 11, 1968, during a forum Monday evening in St. Dominic Church hall, 77 E. Lucius Ave., on the South Side.

Hosting the two-hour gathering to mark the anniversary was the Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee of the Mahoning Valley.

Read more about the event in Tuesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.