Martin Luther King was a powerhouse name in fighting against racial discrimination. Even after his assassination, the principles he stood for have been championed by organizations that believed in his course.

One common type of discrimination that was instigated in Luther’s era is housing inequality. However, King was adamant in fighting for the rights of the minority Blacks living in the United States.

Martin Luther spoke against social segregation which had pushed Black Americans to live in slums. The opportunities were limited in these areas.

Despite the abolishment of slavery, there were still elements of racial discrimination. The following are some of the ways that Luther contributed to equality in the housing sector.

Freedom Movement

Dr. Luther did not only form a campaign to champion for the rights of Black-Americans but also actively participated in demonstrations.

He changed his family residence to Chicago where he could monitor and lead the movement. Fearlessly, Martin went to City Hall and placed a paper that aired the communities’ grievances.

The Chicago mayor would then call for an immediate audit of the local housing conditions. The houses where the Blacks lived posed danger to their lives because the city had poor drainage, substandard garbage management and leaking sewerage system.

Formation of Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Community

Formation of the council was a result of the Freedom Movement. The new non-profit organization acted as a channel to advocate for fair housing.

Martin Luther provided legal advice to the locals and later he advanced his agenda nationally. The organization also educated the Black-Americans and their White counterparts of the need to have fair housing. The local leaders were in support of Luther’s course which eased the operations of his NGO. He created a foundation for negotiation of the rights of people of color.

Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act has the imprints of Luther’s legacy.  The new law expanded on previous Housing Acts to advocate for fair treatment of Blacks, women, and people living with disability.

The law had failed after various attempts of the Congress to garner enough support from the members of the house. The regulations were passed without debate days after the assassination of Luther. The move was to quell the riots that were being witnessed after the murder of King. The US president mourned Luther and regretted that the motion gained popularity after his death. He wished Martin had lived to witness the change that was sweeping through the housing sector.

Negotiations with Real Estate Agents

In the fight for fair housing, Martin Luther King did not spare the agencies in real estate. He boldly approached them and called for the availability of non-discriminating real estate listing, fair mortgage policies and revocation of discriminative agencies’ licenses.

Luther also advocated for garbage collection in slums to make the conditions habitable. In one of his speech, he pointed out that it was time for the Blacks to stop living with rodents. MLK also negotiated with contractors to demolish the existing poor structures to put up better houses.

Formation of New Organizations

Luther was not assassinated with his dream of fair housing. After his death, organizations that advance his agenda have been formed since 1968. The NGOs advocate for fair housing and poverty eradication in cities where the Blacks are most prevalent. A good example is Fahe which advocates for better housing conditions in American rural areas like Appalachia.

The dream is still alive through such organizations which were formed from the legacy of MLK. Undoubtedly, King was an aggressive leader in fighting for the rights of Blacks. His focus on fair housing cannot be underestimated. To date, the equal housing opportunities offered by agents and federal governments are as a result of what Luther fought for.

References

<https://inequality.org/research/mlks-dream-housing-equality/>

<https://www.playtimeproject.org/2016/01/still-dreaming-martin-luther-king/>

<https://www.inman.com/2018/01/15/martin-luther-king-jr-s-legacy-of-combating-housing-inequality/>