Fair Housing Month begins on April Fool’s Day—but it’s no joke
On April 1, we confront the irony of beginning to honor a serious civil rights struggle now under siege, on a day known for pranks.
The United States has long commemorated the passage of the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) through proclamations, know-your-rights seminars, poster contests, and other meaningful activities in April. “Fair Housing Month,” as it is called, celebrates what has been achieved when it comes to fighting housing discrimination while also recognizing that fair housing, like all civil rights, remains an ongoing struggle.
Indeed, the Fair Housing Act did not make it into the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 but was passed four years later, and only after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which occurred one week earlier. While it may not have been perfect and has, in fact, since been amended several times, the Fair Housing Act reflected a federal commitment to ban housing discrimination based on certain protected classes, beginning with race, color, religion, and national origin, and then adding sex, disability, and familial status.
There has been much progress on the federal, state, and local levels over the past 57 years. However, the promise of fair housing and equal opportunity remains elusive for so many people. The new Trump administration, soon after beginning its tenure on January 20, 2025, has made clear its intent to destroy the framework and funding behind fair housing education and enforcement. As a result, observing Fair Housing Month has taken on special meaning this year.
It’s ironic that Fair Housing Month begins on April 1, which is April Fool’s Day. It’s a day that we associate with jokes and hoaxes, yet it’s also the start of a month that focuses on the longtime struggle for equal access to housing. In stark contrast to just one year ago, fair housing protections, along with many other civil rights protections, are under serious threat.
Fair Housing Meter is needed now, more than ever, to track where the United States stands in terms of achieving true fair housing and equal opportunity (known as FHEO). Officially launched today, coinciding with Fair Housing Month 2025, Fair Housing Meter will track where we are, how we got here, and how far we still have to go, especially as the road ahead suddenly seems murky.
Today is both the start of Fair Housing Month and April Fool’s Day, but don’t be fooled into believing that housing discrimination is a thing of the past, or that hard-fought gains in civil rights are automatically permanent. On the contrary, given the current political climate, it’s time to get serious about fair housing.