Corbett declares April Fair Housing Month in Cedar Rapids

In a half-hour long ceremony at City Hall North, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Director Karl Cassell reaffirmed the city's commitment to fighting housing discrimination, and Mayor Ron Corbett proclaimed April to be Fair Housing month in Cedar Rapids.

“We rededicate ourselves to combatting housing discrimination in all its forms,” Cassell said.

Staff from his department gave a rundown of the history of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and talked about the need for better education about housing equality in Cedar Rapids. This year is the 42nd anniversary of the law's passage.

Nancy Lee Ziese, chairwoman of the Civil Rights Commission, told the story of an African-American family she knew that was moving to another state and having trouble selling their house. They asked their realtor what they could do. He gulped, and told them to try removing their family pictures from the walls, Ziese said.

“Reluctantly, they took his advice, and within a week the house was sold,” she said.

Corbett told a small group of city officials that the legislation itself is often the beginning of the job, not the end. He said people sign bills, then pat each other on the back as they walk away, but enforcement of laws like the Fair Housing Act takes work.

“That's when the real work starts to begin,” he said.