When most people think about the civil rights movement, segregation is one of the big points that come to mind. The vast majority of everyday activities become segregated in some way, shape, or form. Eating, commuting, going to the bathroom, drinking water from a fountain, all became segregated.
One major instance of segregation that, while addressed during the civil rights movement, doesn’t get as much attention now is housing segregation and discrimination. The effects of long-term and wide-spread housing discrimination can still be seen today, especially in the state of Wisconsin. Some of the more famous accounts of housing discrimination come from Green Bay Packers players. While African American Packer players faced housing difficulties, they did not represent the full scope of discrimination faced by average African Americans across Wisconsin.
To illustrate this point we will provide insight into the civil rights movement, take a deep dive into the issue of housing discrimination in Wisconsin, look at what the federal and state government’s response was, look at individual accounts of housing discrimination as spoken by average citizens as well as players of the Green Bay Packers, and compare and contrast their experiences.