Under President Clinton’s leadership, we are building a stronger “One America” for the 21st century. Creting a more just and fair society that underscores our shared strengths instead of focusing on our differences — that is Clinton’s vision. As he has emphasized, our national diversity is our greatest strength — discrimiantion may well be our greatest weakness.

April of Fair Housing Month, the time we traditionally commemorate the enactment of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, better known as the Fair Housing Act. Congress passed this landmark civil rights legislation one week after the assassiont of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as a tribute to his work.

In 1988, Congress passed the Fair Housing Amendment Act to further strengthen the law, which now covers the sale, rental, financing and advertising of almost all housing in the nation. Actions that discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, disaibility, family status or national origin are strictly prohibited. The Amendments Act also established new administrative enforcement mechanisms within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development whereby attorneys could bring actions before administrtive law judges on behalf of victims of housing discrimination, as well as revising and expanding Justice Department jurisdiction in brinigng a suit on behalf of victims in federal district courts.

Thirty-one years after the Fair Housing Act was passed, HUD is still seeing thousands and thousands of cases of housing discrimination every year. Discrimination used to be blatant — what HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo describes as “discrimination with a fist.” A racially derogatory remark is made to potential Hispanice renters. A cross is burned on an African American family’s lawn. These things still happen, albeit rarey.

It is more likely that someone will be the victim of a more subtle form of housing discrimination — “discrimination with a smile.” A rental agent will smile politely as she tells a minority couple that there are no more vacant apartments available. Ten minutes later, the agent will suddenly have an apartment to rent — because the customers are a white couple.

Discrimination with a smile is much harder to prove. The victims, wanting to believe that discrimation is no longer a problem in this country, will believe therental agent. In most cases, the couple will not know what happened after they left the rental office. The rental agent, and the company he or she works for, will have successfully discriminated — and broken the law.

HUD’s focus on fair housing is being driven throughout the country under the leadershp of Secretary Cuomo. “If we are serious about ending housing discrimination, then we must undertand and recognize its complexities and subtleties. If we are to create the `One America’ that President Clinton seeks, we must end housing discrimination once and for all,” Cuomo said.

A strategic effort to crack down on housing discrimination is currently in place. On Nov. 16, 1998, Cuomo announced a nationwide audit of housing discrimination in America. The audit will evaluate housing discrimination in urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide through 3,000 to 5,000 tests for housing discrimination. The audit will evaluate patterns and trends in houing sales, rentals and mortgage lending to minorities.

HUD also promotes innovative partnerships with communities, nonprofits and fair housing organizations. These partnerships assist us in education, promoting homeownership opportunities and building communities.

To commemorate Fair Housing Month, activities and summits are planned around the country to educate people about housing discrimination, including screening of fair housing videos on local access Channel 2 in Portland. We also have made fair housing educational material available to thousands of Mainers at both the Portland and Bangor home shows this month.

We can all made a difference in the effort to ensure fair housing by determining if you or someone you know has been a victim of housing discriminaton. Contact HUD if:

You’ve been denied the opportunity to rent or buy a residence even though you’re able to afford it.

You’ve been denied a mortgage loan even though you met the underwriting criteria.

You’ve been denied property insurance because of where you choose to live.

You’re new to the Bangor metroplitan area and you’ve been steered to certain neighborhoods althoug you clearly stated your preferred area.

You have a disability and have been denied housing because of that disability.

You have a disability and your requests to the landlord to make accommodations so the residence is accessible to you have been denied.

Housing discrimination comes in many different forms. To get more information or to file a complaint, call HUD at 945-0467, visir the Maine state HUD office at 202 Harlow St., Bangor 04401, or vist HUD on the Internet at www.hud.gov/hdiscrim.html.

Loren T. Cole is senior community builder at the HUD’s Maine state office.