Recently, four residents of Wauwatosa received a letter from a group purporting to be called “Whites for Wauwatosa.” The letter included statements such as “we must keep Wauwatosa free from blacks,” and “we must keep blacks from destroying our property, raping our wives and daughters, and recruiting our children into street gangs.” The letter urged recipients to “keep Wauwatosa white!”
In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the writers of this letter and the hateful, racist message they are sending.
Let us be very, very clear: Black people and other people of color have the right to live anywhere they wish to live, and can afford to pay rent or a mortgage. Our fair housing laws require this. Our innate sense of fairness requires this. Our nation’s great promise - that we all have an equal opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - requires this.
We call on all people, especially Wauwatosa residents, but also people from across the metropolitan area, to reject this message of hate, and to support the creation of communities that are integrated, diverse, and welcoming. There are many ways to help build inclusive communities – contact the Fair Housing Council for ideas, or to learn about volunteer opportunities!
For those who receive such letters, or who are targeted by hate: please know that we are here for you. The Fair Housing Council is part of a Community Response Network that offers many different types of support to victims of hate incidents. For more information, click here.
Hate and bigotry have been simmering in many guises – including illegal housing discrimination – in our communities for decades. They are making more and more overt appearances now, but as the author adrienne maree brown has written, “Things are not getting worse. They are getting uncovered. We must hold each other tight and continue to pull back the veil.”
The Fair Housing Council and its partners are are ready to provide help. And together, we say to hate: No more.
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