[William Myers, Jr. and Daisy Myers sitting at home]
Item
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Title
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[William Myers, Jr. and Daisy Myers sitting at home]
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Description
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This item is a black and white press photograph of William and Daisy Myers sitting together on a couch.
When Levittown was first created the housing agreements included racist policies barring people of color from living in the community. The Myers became the first Black family to move into the 15,000 home all-White Levittown community in Bristol Township. They moved out of the integrated housing community of Bloomsdale to 43 Deepgreen Lane in Levittown in August 1957.
The move had only been the distance of one mile but the Myers’ family new address lead to months of protests and threats from White local citizens. Eventually, with the aid of police and media coverage the protests stopped. The Myers remained in their Levittown home for four years.
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When the married couple moved to 43 Deepgreen Lane in August 1957, it sparked immediate hostility. They were met with racial epithets, a “KKK”-style cross burning, blaring music from a rented “party house” next door, eviction petitions, and other acts aimed at blocking desegregation. The cross, placed in a neighbor’s oil-burner vent, was set ablaze with rag-soaked Molotov cocktails (Philadelphia Inquirer, 1957b). While some dismissed it as the work of children, Police Chief J. Stewart rejected that claim.
In mid-August, a crowd of about 250 Whites gathered outside the Myers home to protest their presence on Deepgreen Lane. Violence broke out, with rocks hurled at State Troopers and a journalist (Philadelphia Inquirer, 1957b). Despite relentless intimidation, the Myers family—backed by law enforcement and the courts—stood firm as the first Black family to integrate Levittown, Bucks County which was a national symbol for fair housing.
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Rights
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This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only.
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Creator
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AP Newsfeatures Photo
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Format
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Photo
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Spatial Coverage
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Levittown, PA
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Contributor
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Mercer Museum/Bucks County Historical Society
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Extent
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1 image
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Identifier
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SC-29-01,19a-A-020
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Date Created
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1958
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Coverage
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Levittown, PA
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Subject
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Race relations
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Housing
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African Americans--Segregation
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Pennsylvania--Levittown
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Photography
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Housing policy--Planning
