ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
24-38
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
May 4, 2021
To celebrate and recognize the 53rd Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, affirming the United
States commitment to fair and equal access to housing, and to recognize April as Fair
Housing Month.
WHEREAS, on April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act
into law in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.;
WHEREAS, the fight for fair housing was a central piece of the civil rights movement as
African Americans experienced discrimination in housing throughout the United States;
WHEREAS, prior to the Fair Housing Act, housing segregation was reenforced by federal
and local governments through segregated public housing, enforcing racial covenants, choosing to
support home ownership in white communities, and zoning restrictions;
WHEREAS, these practices excluded African Americans from housing stability and
economic mobility, and continue to have the effect of segregated and neglected communities of
color and low homeownership rates for African Americans;
WHEREAS, the Fair Housing Act guarantees equal housing opportunities for all people
and makes it illegal to refuse to sell or rent a home, refuse to finance, deny or limit services, or
impose different terms and conditions based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, family
status, or disability;
WHEREAS, in the District of Columbia, the Office of Human Rights works with the US
Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate complaints of housing
discrimination;
WHEREAS, the Office of Human Rights enforces the DC Human Rights Act, one of the
most progressive non-discrimination laws in the country, which prohibits discrimination in
housing, employment, public accommodations, and educational institutions for 21 protected traits;
WHEREAS, housing discrimination continues today and can take many forms, including
a landlord who refuses to make reasonable accommodations for a person with a disability, source
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of income discrimination that limits a familys housing options, or a realtor who steers a Black
family toward homes only in certain neighborhoods;
WHEREAS, access to housing remains unequal, and the United States and the District still
have work to do to eliminate discrimination and fully implement the Fair Housing Act to further
fair housing;
WHEREAS, April is recognized as Fair Housing Month, providing an opportunity to
commemorate the Fair Housing Act, educate the public about their rights and responsibilities under
the Act, and continue to fight for desegregation and the promise of fair housing for all.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
resolution may be cited as the District of Columbia Fair Housing Month Recognition Resolution
of 2021.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia celebrates the Fair Housing Act and
recognizes the work that remains to ensure equal access to fair housing.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.