Honoring the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

2Life Communities would like to take a moment to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy - especially as an organization with a longtime commitment to ensuring all older adults have an affordable place to call home.  

Our nation has a very checkered history around housing. In the mid-20th Century, the U.S. government explicitly blocked African-Americans from obtaining the same loans that white Americans could easily get, and even when those overtly racist policies were ended, there were still many insidious practices that kept African-Americans and other disenfranchised communities from buying homes or even renting apartments. Civil rights activists exposed the rampant discrimination in the housing industry by sending white home-buyers and home-buyers of color to meet with real estate agents - and found the home-buyers of color were turned away, while white home-buyers were welcomed with open arms. 

During Dr. King’s last years before his assassination, he focused increasing amounts of his time and energy in northern communities like Chicago, fighting for fair and just housing. He and his fellow activists marched and rallied, worked with legislators throughout the country to bar housing discrimination on the basis of race. Dr. King’s efforts paid off - though he did not live to see its ultimate victory. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 (FHA) was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson just one week after Dr. King was killed - largely as a response to his murder. The new law prohibited discrimination in selling or renting property based on race, color and national origin. The  law was later amended to include religion, sex, disability and family status. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was tasked with implementing the new law - with Michigan Gov. George Romney (former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s father) leading the initial efforts.

Our daily work of engaging with residents and each other is informed by a culture of mutual respect and celebration of both our differences and our common humanity. 

To be sure, we can, and must, do much more. People of color in the Greater Boston Area continue to face high levels of discrimination in the housing market, which is part of the reason why we must continue to deepen our organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice and ensure 2Life is helping to lead the way forward in making the Greater Boston Area a better and more affordable place for everyone. 

As we celebrate and remember Dr. King’s legacy and vision, we are proud of our commitment to embody his spirit in our actions and to continue questioning ourselves through learning, growing, and deepening our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and fairness in housing for all. 

If you’d like to continue learning more about fair housing in the Boston area, below are a few places to start: 

• Watch the powerful 18-minute short film Segregated By Design - Linked here 

• Read the History of Fair Housing in the United States - Linked here 

• Read a Boston Globe article about the discrimination against black renters - Linked here