DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Civil rights and race relations materials, 1957-1964 | What You Can Do About Racial Prejudice In Housing Page 22

Transcribe
Translate

Civil rights and race relations materials, 1957-1964

What You Can Do About Racial Prejudice In Housing Page 22

The approach to fearful neighbors should be twofold: That integration is both morally and practically right. They should be shown that it is economically sensible for them to stay put, rather than to flee. You can point out that there are now many integrated communities in the United States. There may even be integrated neighborhoods in your own city or nearby communities. The stability of these areas is the result of thoughtful, dedicated work by concerned residents.
An established community is hard to duplicate...nice homes, streets, churches, schools, transportation, shopping facilities, playgrounds, parks. Most people would have a difficult time trying to match the advantages of their present neighborhoods by moving elsewhere. A heterogeneous population adds to the cultural advantages of a community, if the new people are welcomed, integrated into community life and invited to contribute to it.
The cost of running away from a newly integrated area is high. Moving is expensive. And most home owners will find it impossible to duplicate their present homes in another area at anything like the price they paid a few years ago. Equivalent houses cost more than they used to. Even if one is able to sell his home at a good price, he will probably have to pay more than he received to get as nice a new home in as nice a neighborhood. Too, should a large proportion of the white population decide to leave, property values will decline and sellers will not be able to get a fair market price for their present homes. In this connection, it should be pointed out again that some real estate dealers often urge people to move by actively encouraging fear when Negroes arrive in a neighborhood. When they are successful in their efforts, they profit. But the former white owners and the new Negro buyers do not.
Another cost of moving is the cost of undertaking a new mortgage, something that is particularly disadvantageous for older people. Also, there is the emotional upheaval that occurs whenever one moves away from
22

Saving...

The approach to fearful neighbors should be twofold: That integration is both morally and practically right. They should be shown that it is economically sensible for them to stay put, rather than to flee. You can point out that there are now many integrated communities in the United States. There may even be integrated neighborhoods in your own city or nearby communities. The stability of these areas is the result of thoughtful, dedicated work by concerned residents. An established community is hard to duplicate...nice homes, streets, churches, schools, transportation, shopping facilities, playgrounds, parks. Most people would have a difficult time trying to match the advantages of their present neighborhoods by moving elsewhere. A heterogeneous population adds to the cultural advantages of a community, if the new people are welcomed, integrated into community life and invited to contribute to it. The cost of running away from a newly integrated area is high. Moving is expensive. And most home owners will find it impossible to duplicate their present homes in another area at anything like the price they paid a few years ago. Equivalent houses cost more than they used to. Even if one is able to sell his home at a good price, he will probably have to pay more than he received to get as nice a new home in as nice a neighborhood. Too, should a large proportion of the white population decide to leave, property values will decline and sellers will not be able to get a fair market price for their present homes. In this connection, it should be pointed out again that some real estate dealers often urge people to move by actively encouraging fear when Negroes arrive in a neighborhood. When they are successful in their efforts, they profit. But the former white owners and the new Negro buyers do not. Another cost of moving is the cost of undertaking a new mortgage, something that is particularly disadvantageous for older people. Also, there is the emotional upheaval that occurs whenever one moves away from 22