An impactful PSA, a commercial was showed on the big screen of the chambers which depicted a normal looking caucasian young man who declares that he is a recent college graduate with a good job and good family looking for an apartment who asks the question, "If I looked like this, would you still give me housing?" before transforming into an African-American, Asian American, a single mother, etc. which explains the basis behind this month.

This year marks the 46th anniversary of the adoption of Section VIII of the Civil Rights Act, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act.  The legislation, passed to prevent discrimination in housing based on race, color, sex, national origin, or religion, was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968.

The act was a long-awaited addition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which did not include sufficient enforcement provisions against housing discrimination.   Minorities continued to face discrimination in selling, renting, and financing in the real estate industry, exacerbating the social and economic inequalities through racially segregated neighborhoods.  

The Fair Housing Act prohibits any discriminatory practices in the sale, rental, financing, or advertising of a dwelling.  Before its adoption, “blockbusting” – informing homeowners that the value of their property would gradually decline due to the influx of racial minorities to the neighborhood – or denying an available property to a buyer or renter from a protected class, were common practices in the real estate market.