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To Fight Discrimination, a Long List of No-Nos
By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY

It shouldn’t take a lawyer to know that it is illegal to use phrases like “no Chicanos,” “no blacks” or “not for handicapped” in a real estate listing.

But at some real estate firms, brokers are also forewarned not to include in listings, or even mention in conversation, phrases that even the most prejudiced New York landlords would be hard pressed to think up, like “no Appalachians” or “no Hungarians.” They also are cautioned to never, under any circumstances, call a home a “fisherman’s retreat.”

All these phrases appear on “fair housing lists,” informal collections of perilous words and phrases that grew out of the 1968 federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination against buyers and renters based on race and religion, and a 1988 amendment, which added families with children and people with disabilities. At one point, some brokerages and newspaper classified-advertising departments had become so cautious that the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a clarification memo in 1995 that said phrases like “master bedroom,” “mother-in-law suite” or “bachelor apartment” were acceptable.

Still, there are also state and city fair housing laws to account for, which is why David Schlamm, president of City Connections, includes “bachelor pad” in his brokerage’s list: with its suggestion of masculinity, it could violate the city’s law prohibiting housing discrimination based on gender, he said.

“It’s the same idea as ‘perfect for shares or families,’ ” he said, adding that the phrase had been flagged as discriminatory.

Mr. Schlamm couldn’t explain apparent inconsistencies in his own extensive list, which covers 203 terms and categorizes them as “acceptable,” “caution” and “not acceptable.” “No Appalachian” is banned, but it advises brokers only to be cautious with words prohibiting gays and lesbians.

There is no official, HUD-approved roster of good and bad words. But most brokerages and newspapers, including The New York Times, keep some kind of list, often a version that has been distributed for more than 15 years by the Oregon Newspaper Association, hence the occasional head-scratcher that would not seem to apply to 21st-century New York City.

To Fight Discrimination, a Long List of No-Nos – NYTimes.com.

African-American – News March 28, 2011

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Some Women Worry Too Much About Breast Cancer Returning (MediLexicon)
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African-Americans And The Reverse Migration (WBUR-AM Boston)
In the past decade, the African American population of the Atlanta, GA metro area grew by half a million.
Bam makes long-awaited return to Harlem (NY Daily News)
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Re “Friends hold vigil at site of White Plains slaying to mourn a life cut short,” Wednesday article: Tragedy strikes the City of White Plains again.

Consumers need to be more aware of the salt in processed foods (Hackettstown Weekly News)
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‘A Dream Still Deferred’: Historian examines Detroit census, race and suburban inequality (MLive)
Published: Sunday, March 27, 2011, 9:27 AM Updated: Sunday, March 27, 2011, 9:36 AM A street sign showing Detroit’s city limits is shown near where a former Chrysler McGraw glass plant is being torn down along Ford Road in Detroit, Tuesday, March 22, 2011.

MOSS: The census delivers good news (NY Daily News)
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Sheronda Smith crossed the color line for love in her first marriage. So when she did it again, she and her husband, Joshua, expected the disapproving looks they sometimes got from strangers.

If you spot some bomb shelters and hear sirens in Washington Square Park tomorrow don’t panic, but take a moment to immerse yourself in the new multi-media installation, titled The Bomb Shelter. It’s meant to connect New Yorkers to what Israelis went through last week during the bombing of a Jerusalem bus stop and repeated rocket strikes. [ more › ]

Imams’ girl next door

By ANNIE KARNI

Last Updated: 8:21 AM, March 27, 2011

Posted: 12:38 AM, March 27, 2011

They’re strange neighbors.

A museum commemorating the world’s most famous Holocaust victim is planning to move across the street from the proposed Ground Zero mosque, The Post has learned.

The nonprofit Anne Frank Center USA, a partner of the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, offers educational programs about the Holocaust and the history of World War II. The group is poised to sign a lease in the 20-floor, glass-and-steel tower at 100 Church St., sources involved in the negotiations confirmed.

The windows of the 1 million- square-foot office tower overlook Park 51, the planned 16-story, 125,000-square-foot Muslim community center and mosque at 45 Park Place, two blocks from Ground Zero.

The museum, which currently rents loft space at 38 Crosby St. in SoHo, took out ads last year seeking a larger home in order to re-create the “secret annex” where the doomed Jewish teen wrote her famous diary while hiding from the Nazis with her family in Amsterdam between 1942 and 1944.

The move would be more evidence that lower Manhattan is becoming a Mecca for religious and cultural groups of all stripes. There are already more than 20 houses of worship below Canal Street and 13 museums south of Chambers Street, according to the Downtown Alliance. A nondenominational Christian church recently opened in 7 World Trade Center.

“It’s appropriate to have a mix of diverse organizations as a part of the lower Manhattan community,” said Julie Menin, chairwoman of Community Board 1. “We want it to reflect the melting pot that is America.”

Board members at the Anne Frank Center said they harbored no concerns about their odd juxtaposition with the mosque, whose proximity to the 9/11 site has sparked outrage.

“We’ve been working very hard to find a new location that will be more accessible to our exhibits,” said board member Hyman Enzer. “I like the idea of the new location.”

Board member Sam Fredman said, “I don’t know that the mosque was or would be a factor of any kind.”

In January, the new imam of Park 51, Abdallah Adhami, was fired after it was discovered that he preached that homosexuals were abused as children and that people who leave Islam should be jailed. The first imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, stepped down after clashing with developer Sharif El-Gamal.

The Anne Frank Center is in negotiations with SL Green Realty Corp. to rent 2,500 square feet of ground-floor space, according to Steven Durels, SL Green’s director of leasing for the building. Asking rent is $50 a square foot, which would be $125,000 a month for the exhibition center.

“We’re in advanced negotiations with them and, hopefully, we’ll sign a deal in the next few weeks,” Durels said. “We think the Anne Frank Center is a good use for the building.”

A broker representing the Anne Frank Center declined to comment.

akarni@nypost.com

Anne Frank Center moving across street from Ground Zero mosque – NYPOST.com.

African-American – News March 27, 2011

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Preserving history as population changes (The Washington Post)
Census data released Thursday said fewer blacks and far more whites live in the U Street neighborhood in northwest D.C. Than ten years ago.
Brave Old World Going to Brave New World on a Sunday night… (Philadelphia Weekly)
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Hudson Valley African-Americans are focus of Nyack Library exhibit (The Journal News)
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Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan Speaks At JSU (WAPT)
Controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was at Jackson State University Friday night to speak at a Civil Rights Symposium on campus, but his presence wasn’t welcomed by everybody.

Seeking economic parity: Black Chamber will have statewide agenda, chief says (Detroit Free Press)
Ken Harris, 37, of Detroit is the president and CEO of the newly formed Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce.
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