Existing comment:
The GI Bill: An unequal opportunity:
Few minority soldiers benefited from the post-World War II housing and education program known as the GI Bill.
Home ownership and social change:
Commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 became a powerful stimulus for social and economic change in post-World War II America.
Feeding the Dream:
Among the many benefits offered to returning military veterans were low-interest mortgages with low down payments. The GI Bill made the dream of home ownership come true for millions, fostering the growth of the American middle class. Although the legislation specified that every veteran was eligible for benefits, many minority GIs were unable to cash in.
Same dream, different endings:
Herb Kalisman and Eugene Burnett were of similar age and military experience, but they didn't share equally in the GI Bill's benefits.
Herb Kalisman:
In 1951, Herb Kalisman and his wife, Doris, took advantage of a low-interest GI Bill mortgage loan to purchase a $9,000 house in Levittown. Among its other attractions, this new suburb on Long Island, New York, provided access to excellent schools for their children. In 2006, the home, where the Kalismans still live, was valued at $420,000.
Eugene Burnett:
After the war, Eugene and his wife, Bernice, were kept from buying a house in Levittown. They were told that the "owners of this development have not yet decided to sell these homes to Negroes."
Eugene worked two jobs in order to qualify for a mortgage. In 1950, the Burnetts bought a $7,000 house in a new development in Amityville, New York, one that promoted itself as welcoming to all races. When they sold the house 10 years later to move to a new town with better schools, it was valued at only $10,000.
Because they were denied access to suburbs where housing values grew quickly, the Burnetts weren't able to accumulate as much financial security through home ownership as the Kalismans. |