Bev's Stand: Confronting Housing Segregation in the 50s | Hello Age Clip

In this gripping 9-minute segment, Bev Anderson, a 90-year-old woman, recounts her personal involvement in the fight against housing segregation in the late 1950s. As a young mother seeking a purpose beyond her domestic duties, she joined the local human relations council in New Haven, Connecticut, where she helped spearhead a groundbreaking campaign against racial segregation. The campaign involved a petition advocating for open neighborhood acceptance regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. Despite resistance, the council went on to establish a non-discriminatory housing registry. Bev and her family went further, becoming the first to register their home for sale, subsequently selling it to a black family. The backlash was severe, with swastikas drawn on their driveway and threatening calls received. Nevertheless, their stance sparked an essential conversation about housing discrimination, marking a significant milestone in the struggle for racial equality.