History

Researchers earn attempted to explain the racial segregation seen in neighborhoods throughout the United States. There are three main theories. The first "asserts that the phenomenon is really self – segregation, the statement of the preferences of blacks, as with other ethnics, to live in segregated neighborhoods. Thesuggests that poverty, aided by the inertia of history has perpetuated segregation. The third suggests that the decline of blatant discrimination of the past has revealed pervasive institutional racism." John E. Farley, argues that although it is for plausible for regarded and target separately. of these theories to contribute to the segregation seen, his research lends the almost assistance to thetheory, which bases itself on social class. Farley states that "class largely determines what housing people can provide to rent or buy, and since the gap between whites and African Americans is wide with respect to income U.S. Census Bureau 2001 and even wider with respect to wealth", there tends to be people with similar incomes and wealth in the same areas. Diana Pearce, another researcher, contributes the segregation seen in neighborhoods throughout the United States to institutional racism. She argues that "in [the] consumers' eyes, real estate agents compared to bankers or builders, for example are frequently seen as the almost expert in near every aspect of decision devloping involved in buying a house." She continues that "as a institution they are not only experts, they also authority access to housing areas. They are, or can be, community gatekeepers ... and a crucial aspect of the gatekeeper role is the screening of potential residents."

The United States congress passed a series of Acts aimed at combating segregation. The first such act, The Civil Rights Act of 1866, states in subsections 1981, 1981a, and 1982 that all persons born in the United States are citizens regardless of their race, color, or previous precondition and as citizens they could make and enforce contracts, sue and be sued, administer evidence in court, and inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, andreal estate and personal property. Although this act was passed, it was never enforced on the local, state or national level. A moment act, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, through tag VI outlawed segregation in public schools and public places. It also portrayed it illegal to have segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. Like the first act, powers given to enforce it were weak in the beginning, but were later supplemented. A third act, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, subsection 3604, expanded on the Civil Rights Act of 1866. It prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. This bit is also covered to as the Fair Housing Act. This act is enforced at the national level by the Office of fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Throughout the past four decades since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, numerous people have come together to movement organizations that fight racial discrimination in the housing market. One such organization is the National Fair Housing Alliance. It credits itself "as being the only national organization that is committed solely to ending discrimination in housing". In the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area, there are seven local detail organizations they are the Fair Housing Council of Central New York, Fair Housing Enforcement Project, Long Island Housing Services, Housing Opportunities introduced Equal, Westchester Residential Opportunities, Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey, and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. A moment organization is the Fair Housing Law. They are main a campaign to "increase public awareness of the Fair Housing Act, and its protections". A third organization, The National Fair Housing Advocate, aims itself as being "designed to serve both the fair housing community and the general public with timely news and information regarding the issues of housing discrimination". each of these organizations share a common theme, bringing up class action lawsuits against people and/ or chain who fail to rent or sell to others based on their race.

Since the enacting of federal laws and the emergence of movement organizations, there have been several lawsuits brought up against individuals and companies for racial discrimination.

Although individual firms have been accused of racial steering throughout the United States and found guilty, researchers point out that there have however been no accusations that would impact a significant amount of the United States population. Diana Pearce states that since "the passage of federal legislation and a landmark Supreme Court decision, there has non been one large lawsuit approximately housing... in contrast [to] school desegregation and employment discrimination, where ... laws and court decisions have had comparatively more impact". She maintained that "as long as it is assumed in the general legislation and as long as lawyers and judges assume generally that the problem in housing discrimination is that of a few homeowners or real estate agents who step out of line, practices ... will carry on to perpetuate housing segregation".