[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 71 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19775-19776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07861]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 71 / Thursday, April 15, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 19775]]

                Proclamation 10177 of April 11, 2021

                
National Fair Housing Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Exactly 1 week after the assassination of Dr. Martin 
                Luther King, Jr., struck at the soul of our Nation, 
                President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a landmark piece of 
                legislation--an enduring testament to the ideals of Dr. 
                King that enshrined a portion of his legacy in the 
                lives and laws of the American people. Fifty-three 
                years later, the Fair Housing Act still serves as a 
                powerful statement about who we are as a people: the 
                values of equality, equity, and dignity that we strive 
                to uphold, and the places where we still have work to 
                do to fulfill our full promise as a Nation.

                The purpose of the Fair Housing Act was to put an end 
                to inequities in our housing system and eliminate 
                racial segregation in American neighborhoods--and 
                guarantee that all people in America have the right to 
                obtain the housing of their choice, free from 
                discrimination. The law prohibits discrimination in the 
                sale, rental, and financing of housing, and requires 
                Federal, State, and local governments to proactively 
                dismantle the discriminatory structures that held back 
                people of color and other underserved populations from 
                equitable access to the neighborhoods of their choice.

                By helping to create a fairer housing system, the law 
                seeks to do more than just open up American 
                neighborhoods to all Americans. Access to quality 
                housing is about more than having a roof over your 
                head--it is the foundation for achieving better 
                educational, employment, and health outcomes, as well 
                as one of the most important ways that families build 
                wealth that they can pass along across the generations. 
                The Fair Housing Act was created at a time when Federal 
                and State policies held that dream at arm's length from 
                far too many Black, Brown, Native, and Asian American 
                families through the insidious practices of redlining 
                and lending discrimination.

                Over the course of 53 years, the law has made a world 
                of difference in the lives of countless families and 
                communities. We have also improved upon it through the 
                years; as a Senator, I was proud to co-sponsor the 1988 
                Fair Housing Act amendments that extended the law's 
                protections to Americans with disabilities and families 
                with children, and just 2 months ago my Administration 
                issued a rule change to ensure that the law finally 
                guards against discrimination targeting LGBTQ+ 
                Americans. But the truth of the matter is that we have 
                not fully achieved the goals of the Fair Housing Act--
                we still have so much work to do.

                Many of our neighborhoods remain as segregated today as 
                they were in the middle of the 20th century, and the 
                racial wealth gap is wider now than it was when the 
                Fair Housing Act was passed. Though our Nation has come 
                a long way in many regards, our promise will not be 
                fulfilled as long as anyone in America is denied a good 
                home or a fair shot because of who they are. It is our 
                shared duty to work together to ensure that every 
                person has equitable access to all of the opportunities 
                our communities provide--and that no one faces barriers 
                to getting a good education, having quality health 
                care, eating healthy food, or finding stable employment 
                that allows their family to thrive solely because of 
                where they live. This is a moral responsibility that 
                cannot wait, particularly at a time when the

[[Page 19776]]

                COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted and 
                exacerbated the lack of safe, affordable places to live 
                for far too many people in America.

                To affirm equal opportunity as the bedrock of our 
                democracy--and to enlist the entire Federal Government 
                to address entrenched disparities in our laws, public 
                policies, and institutions--I signed an Executive Order 
                on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
                Communities Through the Federal Government on my first 
                day in office. To ensure that the Federal Government 
                continues to prioritize the right to fair housing and 
                actively enforce our Federal civil rights laws, I also 
                signed a Presidential Memorandum on Redressing Our 
                Nation's and the Federal Government's History of 
                Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies during my 
                first week as President. My Administration will 
                continue our efforts to close persistent racial gaps in 
                wages, housing, credit, lending opportunities, and 
                access to higher education--gaps that, if closed, would 
                add an estimated $5 trillion in gross domestic product 
                in the American economy over the next 5 years. We are 
                committed to doing all we can to end unlawful housing 
                discrimination and advance equity for all underserved 
                populations, fulfill the full promise of the Fair 
                Housing Act, and put the American dream within reach of 
                all Americans.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2021 as 
                National Fair Housing Month. I call upon the people of 
                this Nation to help secure freedom and justice for 
                every American by taking action to fulfill the promise 
                made by the Fair Housing Act to ensure everyone has 
                free and fair housing choice.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-07861
Filed 4-14-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P