Minneapolis Spokesman

The Fair Housing March Sunday
Every Minnesota Negro, plus individual members of other minority
groups, both racial and religious have a stake in the ending of conditions in the housing industry which discriminates sharply against some
of our people.
Housing discrimination provides a high economic cost to most
minority group members seeking housing in an artificially restricted
housing market, from which most of the racial and religious ghettoes
develop.
The ghetto pattern affects the entire community because the scare
of minority group participation in an open housing market upsets
values, appraisals even in "all white" neighborhoods, when a member
of a minority group exercises his moral and constitutional right to purchase the home of his choice.
It is true the dilemma which faces both sides of the housing
situation is considerable, but as in all instances of unchallenged discrimination against a segment of the population, sooner or later it
must be recognized that the entire community must pay for the inequities foisted upon a single group.
If housing discrimination on the basis of race, and religion had
never been practiced and encouraged in our state, we would not now
have the need for a fair housing law.
Thus, for the third time the state legislature is going to be asked
to pass a bill which would make it unlawful in Minnesota for discrimination against the Negro, the Jew, Indians, Mexicans or any other
ethnic or religious groups in the matter of sale or rental of homes or
land.
Minnesota is going to be asked to follow such states as Oregon,
Colorado, New Jersey and others in enacting legislation which will
permit a citizen and his family to purchase a home on the open market
wherever his economic position permits him to buy.
The passage of any legislation requires money for publicity,
printed material, postage and the other expenses connected with informing the public and the legislators of the merits of proposed legislation. Proponents of fair housing legislation are generally not rich people,
and the funds for promotion of the measure must usually come from
the pockets of relatively modest income groups.
The Minnesota Negro community which is the chief sufferer of
the inequities of discrimination in the real estate and housing markets
pays thousands of dollars more per year, often for property well beneath its means and needs as the result of the widespread housing sale
discrimination.
It is therefore proper and fitting that the Twin City Council of
Clubs, a predominantly Negro organization engage in a house to house
solicitation of funds which it will conduct on Sunday. Feb. 12, Abraham
Lincoln's birthday. We hope the public will support this solicitation.
The charge has been made that the masses of Negroes are not
interested in fair housing legislation. We believe this is a canard and
wholly untrue. A way to prove its untruth and the maturity of the
community is by a real rousing support to the financial drive which
the club council makes on next Sunday afternoon.