September 1988
Lee Atwater's political action committee airs the Willie Horton attack ad against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, featuring a menacing mug shot of Willie Horton, a Black man who committed assault while on a Massachusetts furlough program. Atwater later admits the ad was designed to use race as a wedge. Political scientists cite it as a defining moment in the use of racial coding in modern electoral politics.
Reagan signs the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, expanding enforcement authority under the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The law creates an administrative enforcement process at HUD, increases civil penalties, and adds people with disabilities and families with children as protected classes. For Black Americans, strengthened enforcement mechanisms offer new tools against redlining and housing discrimination.
Events
- September 21, 1988Willie Horton Ad Deploys Racial Fear in Presidential Campaign
Lee Atwater's political action committee airs the Willie Horton attack ad against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, featuring a menacing mug shot of Willie Horton, a Black man who committed assault while on a Massachusetts furlough program. Atwater later admits the ad was designed to use race as a wedge. Political scientists cite it as a defining moment in the use of racial coding in modern electoral politics.
- September 13, 1988Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 Strengthens Enforcement
Reagan signs the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, expanding enforcement authority under the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The law creates an administrative enforcement process at HUD, increases civil penalties, and adds people with disabilities and families with children as protected classes. For Black Americans, strengthened enforcement mechanisms offer new tools against redlining and housing discrimination.