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April named Fair Housing Month in Sussex County

April 18, 2014

Members of the Sussex County Council joined with representatives from the Sussex County Association of Realtors recently to formally observe and acknowledge the anniversary of the landmark 1968 Fair Housing Act.

April was declared Fair Housing Month in Sussex County by the five-member council during its regularly scheduled meeting April 8. The proclamation marks the 46-year anniversary of the legislation also known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act.

“The passing of this law marked one of the most important moments in the history of our industry, and that’s why we devote ourselves every April to its remembrance,” says Brad Riedle, 2014 president of SCAOR. “To ensure that every American, regardless of his or her status in life, has the same opportunities when it comes to home ownership is really what this country is all about.

“Owning your own home is part of the so-called American dream, and this legislation made that dream more attainable for all Americans,” Riedle said.

Former President Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law April 11, 1968, at the height of America’s civil rights movement. The breakthrough piece of legislation has allowed for significant advancements in fair housing practices and created federal enforcement guidelines regarding discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin.

Many states, including Delaware, have drafted similar laws in recent years that have expanded those protections to include sexual orientation.

“All of us on the council believe that every person in this country deserves the same opportunities when it comes to fair housing, and it’s our pleasure to join with the Sussex County Association of Realtors in observing the anniversary of this historic piece of legislation,” said Sussex County Council President Michael Vincent.

When enacted in the United States more than four-and-a-half decades ago, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 outlawed many things, including refusing to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of race, color, religion or national origin; discriminating based on race, color, religion or national origin in the terms, conditions or privilege of the sale or rental of a dwelling; advertising the sale or rental of a dwelling indicating preference of discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin; coercing, threatening, intimidating or interfering with a person’s housing rights based on discriminatory reasons; or retaliating against a person or organization that aids or encourages fair housing rights.

To learn more about the Fair Housing Act of 1968, visit www.hud.gov.

The Sussex County Association of Realtors was chartered in 1949 and has steadily grown in size, scope and mission during its more than six decades in Sussex County. It is a professional trade association with goals of carrying out a program of education and advocacy for real estate in the county. To read more about issues related to Sussex County’s real estate industry, go to www.scaor.com.

 

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