National Fair Housing Month, 2021

Citation86 FR 19775
Published date15 April 2021
Record Number2021-07861
SectionPresidential Documents
CourtExecutive Office Of The President
Presidential Documents
19775
Federal Register
Vol. 86, No. 71
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Title 3—
The President
Proclamation 10177 of April 11, 2021
National Fair Housing Month, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Exactly 1 week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., struck
at the soul of our Nation, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a landmark
piece of legislation—an enduring testament to the ideals of Dr. King that
enshrined a portion of his legacy in the lives and laws of the American
people. Fifty-three years later, the Fair Housing Act still serves as a powerful
statement about who we are as a people: the values of equality, equity,
and dignity that we strive to uphold, and the places where we still have
work to do to fulfill our full promise as a Nation.
The purpose of the Fair Housing Act was to put an end to inequities
in our housing system and eliminate racial segregation in American neighbor-
hoods—and guarantee that all people in America have the right to obtain
the housing of their choice, free from discrimination. The law prohibits
discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing, and requires
Federal, State, and local governments to proactively dismantle the discrimina-
tory structures that held back people of color and other underserved popu-
lations from equitable access to the neighborhoods of their choice.
By helping to create a fairer housing system, the law seeks to do more
than just open up American neighborhoods to all Americans. Access to
quality housing is about more than having a roof over your head—it is
the foundation for achieving better educational, employment, and health
outcomes, as well as one of the most important ways that families build
wealth that they can pass along across the generations. The Fair Housing
Act was created at a time when Federal and State policies held that dream
at arm’s length from far too many Black, Brown, Native, and Asian American
families through the insidious practices of redlining and lending discrimina-
tion.
Over the course of 53 years, the law has made a world of difference in
the lives of countless families and communities. We have also improved
upon it through the years; as a Senator, I was proud to co-sponsor the
1988 Fair Housing Act amendments that extended the law’s protections
to Americans with disabilities and families with children, and just 2 months
ago my Administration issued a rule change to ensure that the law finally
guards against discrimination targeting LGBTQ+ Americans. But the truth
of the matter is that we have not fully achieved the goals of the Fair
Housing Act—we still have so much work to do.
Many of our neighborhoods remain as segregated today as they were in
the middle of the 20th century, and the racial wealth gap is wider now
than it was when the Fair Housing Act was passed. Though our Nation
has come a long way in many regards, our promise will not be fulfilled
as long as anyone in America is denied a good home or a fair shot because
of who they are. It is our shared duty to work together to ensure that
every person has equitable access to all of the opportunities our communities
provide—and that no one faces barriers to getting a good education, having
quality health care, eating healthy food, or finding stable employment that
allows their family to thrive solely because of where they live. This is
a moral responsibility that cannot wait, particularly at a time when the
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19776
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 71 / Thursday, April 15, 2021 / Presidential Documents
COVID–19 pandemic has further highlighted and exacerbated the lack of
safe, affordable places to live for far too many people in America.
To affirm equal opportunity as the bedrock of our democracy—and to enlist
the entire Federal Government to address entrenched disparities in our
laws, public policies, and institutions—I signed an Executive Order on Ad-
vancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through
the Federal Government on my first day in office. To ensure that the Federal
Government continues to prioritize the right to fair housing and actively
enforce our Federal civil rights laws, I also signed a Presidential Memo-
randum on Redressing Our Nation’s and the Federal Government’s History
of Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies during my first week as
President. My Administration will continue our efforts to close persistent
racial gaps in wages, housing, credit, lending opportunities, and access
to higher education—gaps that, if closed, would add an estimated $5 trillion
in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next 5 years.
We are committed to doing all we can to end unlawful housing discrimination
and advance equity for all underserved populations, fulfill the full promise
of the Fair Housing Act, and put the American dream within reach of
all Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2021 as National
Fair Housing Month. I call upon the people of this Nation to help secure
freedom and justice for every American by taking action to fulfill the promise
made by the Fair Housing Act to ensure everyone has free and fair housing
choice.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day
of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fifth.
[FR Doc. 2021–07861
Filed 4–14–21; 8:45 am]
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