Executive Director DeAnna Eason's Statement at Erie County Fair Housing Month Proclamation Ceremony

Fair Housing Month Ceremony

April 10, 2023

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. The world erupted in chaos, pain and violence. As a tribute to the slain civil rights icon who fought for many things, including, equality in housing, President Johnson urged Congress to pass a fair housing act that had been delayed for several years. What was once the most filibustered bill in history, now passed without issue, within 7 days of King’s assignation.

This is why we come together every April to celebrate the passage of the Fair Housing Act and to acknowledge that the work is far from over. Not only that, we must recognize that it takes all hands-on deck in order to promote diversity and ensure all people an equal opportunity to live in the housing and communities of their choice.

Main purpose of the law is to prevent discrimination in housing and reverse segregation, and while some may argue that the needle is moving, it is moving very slowly.

Discrimination and prejudice – led to a heinous act upon our community on May 14th. A hate-filled gunman opened fire at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue. While 10 people were killed, an entire community was impacted.

Buffalo was targeted because it was the city with the largest population of Black residents that was closest to the gunman's home. He then went a step further and selected a ZIP code within Buffalo with the highest percentage of Black residents. He was able to find this information easily because the Buffalo/Niagara region is the 6th most segregated MSA in the United States. This horrible and deadly statistic serves as a reminder of the cost of racial segregation and discrimination.

The senseless massacre of

Roberta A. Drury,

Margus D. Morrison,

Andre Mackneil,

Aaron Salter, Jr.,

Geraldine Talley,

Celestine Chaney,

Heyward Patterson,

Katherine Massey,

Pearl Young, and

Ruth Whitfield at the hand of a white supremacist was the result of an internet search for the most segregated Black community closest to Conklin, NY. We were easy to find, for all of the wrong reasons.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the massacre, remember that a community is still grieving, and the problem has not been fixed.

The thought no longer counts – it is not enough to gather once a year in April. It is not enough to think of the horrible crime committed against innocent people.  We have to continue to fight tirelessly against all inequities in housing.

Strong, vibrant, diverse communities cannot be built without fair housing.

We didn’t just come together this month to acknowledge a law that was passed 55 years ago tomorrow, but to remind us of the work that still remains.

Housing instability will not stop by the end of this month.

There will still be homeless families,

There will still be people with disabilities seeking accessible housing,

There will still be people denied because of their Black and brown skin.

As politicians, community leaders, advocates, and real estate professionals we have an opportunity to be a part of equitable and inclusive change.

While we have achieved some victories in equitable and affordable housing, we should remain inspired to continue the fight for housing equality. We must commit to do more than remember fair housing during this month, we must commit to fight for fair housing 365 days a year because inclusive diverse communities benefit all.