It’s been 50 years since the Fair Housing Act passed in the United States. An eventthis week in Corvallis will look at the history and legacy of the fair housing movement in Oregon and the nation.
The Fair Housing Act made it unlawful to discriminate based on race, color, sex, national origin and religion. Tracy Oulman is Housing and Neighborhood Coordinator with the City of Corvallis. She says housing discrimination is part of Oregon’s history.
“We had a sundown law up until well, a lot longer than other states, where folks had to be out of town by nightfall if they were not Caucasian which is not a pretty story to tell but it’s an important one for us to know about."
Family status and disabilities were added later. In Corvallis, those protections include citizenship, source of income and gender identity. Eugene’s include ethnicity and domestic partnership. Diane Hess, with the Fair Housing Council of Oregon will speak at the event. It’s at OSU’s Memorial Union at 7 p.m. Wednesday.