Description
In this photograph President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of April 11, 1968, which is also known as the Fair Housing Act. His administration had attempted to pass housing legislation in 1966 and 1967 but had been defeated both times. On April 10, 1968, six days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, the House of Representatives passed the Fair Housing Act, 229 to 195. The bill was intended to ban racial discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, but since its passage has faced criticism for placing the responsibility of enforcement of the law on people who feel they have been discriminated against, making it difficult to effectively enforce.
