HUD promotes fair housing at grade school

Oxon Hill Middle School students learn their rights at an early age

‘‘We want to begin to educate tomorrow’s renters and home buyers,” Victor Lambert, a HUD Fair Housing official, said. ‘‘This program is significant because many people don’t file claims. We want these kids to know their rights and know they or their parents can do something if they are discriminated against.”

The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. The act makes it illegal to treat people differently when trying to buy, rent or sell a home because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or whether they have a family.

According to HUD statistics, 34 housing discrimination complaints were made in Prince George’s County over the past two years. Sixteen were because of disability and 15 were because of race. Lambert said that nationwide, disability has eclipsed race as the highest reported cause of housing discrimination.

Lambert said HUD chose to give its presentation at Oxon Hill Middle School because of a relationship they had forged during an essay contest the school participated in last month.

‘‘We targeted middle school kids because they’re at an age where they are old enough to understand the concept of fair housing and they’re old enough to understand that they have the right to live where they want to live regardless of race or nationality,” Lambert said. ‘‘And the earlier we can educate someone about fair housing, the better.”

Lynnette Porter, an eighth-grader at the school, said she wants to know her rights for when she is old enough to get an apartment.

‘‘I want to be aware of what my options are and know when I’m being discriminated against,” Porter said. ‘‘And now I can help other people to know their rights. It’s an easy conflict to solve.”

Porter said she had an easy time understanding the Fair Housing Act through the video and skits put on by HUD employees and Franklin the Fair House Fox.

Michelle Lambert-Jefferson, Oxon Hill Middle School’s assistant principal, said this program fits in nicely with her philosophy of education.

‘‘We like to infuse real life experience with book knowledge,” Lambert-Jefferson said. ‘‘We are educating students to be productive citizens of the 21st century.”

HUD plans to continue teaching the Fair Housing Act through similar events in Prince George’s County and in Washington, D.C., before the end of the school year, Lambert said. A forum for parents also is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 13 at Oxon Hill Middle School.

‘‘Now that it’s been launched, this will be an ongoing program,” Lambert said. ‘‘I think it is effective, because instructors used language that kids understand. The presentations were interactive, and our mascot helped make it more interesting and exciting for students.

Alicia Greene, an eighth-grade teacher at Oxon Hill Middle School, said she thinks her students are grasping the concept of fair housing.

‘‘I think they understand it because it’s a real world situation,” Greene said.

Adrienne Lewis, a HUD representative who helped give presentations to the students, said she sees this as an important program.

‘‘This is our future,” Lewis said. ‘‘We need to educate the youth that fair housing is not an option, it’s the law.”