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Highway 61 correspondence and documents, 1968-1974

1972-01-22 James I. Meyerson to The Iowa State Highway Commission Page 1

To: The Iowa State Highway Commission
Re: The proposed re-routing of Highway #61 through the City of Fort Madison, Iowa
Gentlemen:
As per our previous request, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People submits the following position statement with respect to the re-routing of Highway #61 through the City of Fort Madison, Iowa and asks that this statement be read into the record of this hearing and made a part thereof.
The proposed corridor which has been chosen for the relocation of Highway #61 will have the discriminatory effect of disrupting minority neighborhoods in Fort Madison, Iowa and the consequence of displacing a disproportionate number of minority group members living therein, specifically Black persons and persons of Mexican-American ancestry. In fact, in December 1970, officials of the United States Department of Transportation acknowledged that "if approved, the corridor selection will have the effect of discrimination in that a disproportionate number of the displaced persons will be minority group members, i.e., Negroes and Mexican-Americans.
The proposed action of the Iowa State Highway Commission reflects a total insensitivity to the fact that the minority persons living in the corridor have been systematically denied the privilege of living in other areas of Fort Madison because of their race and ancestry and it authorizes, encourages, and sanctions continued discrimination on these grounds.
Many of the minority persons living in the corridor area are economically disadvantaged and have worked hard for many years to acquire ownership of their homes. Some have put many dollars into improvements while still others

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To: The Iowa State Highway Commission Re: The proposed re-routing of Highway #61 through the City of Fort Madison, Iowa Gentlemen: As per our previous request, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People submits the following position statement with respect to the re-routing of Highway #61 through the City of Fort Madison, Iowa and asks that this statement be read into the record of this hearing and made a part thereof. The proposed corridor which has been chosen for the relocation of Highway #61 will have the discriminatory effect of disrupting minority neighborhoods in Fort Madison, Iowa and the consequence of displacing a disproportionate number of minority group members living therein, specifically Black persons and persons of Mexican-American ancestry. In fact, in December 1970, officials of the United States Department of Transportation acknowledged that "if approved, the corridor selection will have the effect of discrimination in that a disproportionate number of the displaced persons will be minority group members, i.e., Negroes and Mexican-Americans. The proposed action of the Iowa State Highway Commission reflects a total insensitivity to the fact that the minority persons living in the corridor have been systematically denied the privilege of living in other areas of Fort Madison because of their race and ancestry and it authorizes, encourages, and sanctions continued discrimination on these grounds. Many of the minority persons living in the corridor area are economically disadvantaged and have worked hard for many years to acquire ownership of their homes. Some have put many dollars into improvements while still others