[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 Myers, Jr. (1922?-1987) and Daisy Myers (1925-2011) sitting together on a couch.
When Levittown was first developed, 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 to 43 Deepgreen Lane in Levittown in August 1957, having purchased the Levittown home from a Jewish couple.
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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The hostility the Myers' faced in the months after they purchased the home included 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 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 White people gathered outside the Myers home to protest their presence. 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. The steadfastness of the Myers' became 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
