January 1933

The Public Works Administration under Harold Ickes (who was personally committed to racial equality) formally prohibited racial wage discrimination in contracts but was largely unable to enforce this in the South. PWA construction projects were built by segregated workforces, with Black workers assigned to the most dangerous and lowest-paid tasks. Housing projects built by the PWA were explicitly segregated — white projects in white neighborhoods, Black projects in Black neighborhoods — formalizing and reinforcing residential segregation through public investment. Ickes insisted on nondiscrimination in federal employment but could not override Southern congressional resistance on broader implementation.

Housing projects built by the Public Works Administration were explicitly segregated — white projects in white neighborhoods, Black projects in Black neighborhoods — formalizing and reinforcing residential segregation through public investment. PWA construction projects were built by segregated workforces, with Black workers assigned to dangerous and lowest-paid tasks. Housing Administrator Harold Ickes (personally committed to racial equality) formally prohibited racial wage discrimination in contracts but was largely unable to enforce this in the South.

President Roosevelt appointed approximately 45 Black advisors to positions within New Deal agencies — dubbed the 'Black Cabinet' or 'Federal Council on Negro Affairs' — including Robert Clifton Weaver (Housing), William Hastie (War), Lawrence Oxley (Labor), and Mary McLeod Bethune (NYA). These appointees represented unprecedented Black representation in federal government and worked to mitigate racial discrimination in New Deal programs. However, they lacked authority to override agency heads or congressional mandates, operated in advisory roles without line authority, and were largely unable to change the fundamental exclusions written into New Deal legislation.