Pennsylvania is attempting to block all-White towns in The Keystone State (Photo Credit: Jay Brand).
First, it was a White-only pie in the movie “Life,” starring the in-laws Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy.
Then it was White power on “Chapelle’s Show.”
Now, some people want White-only towns.
Unfortunately for segregationists in The Keystone State, the Pennsylvania House passed a bill to prevent the formation of an all-White town with no Republican support.
Phenix S. Halley of The Root reported, “The Pennsylvania House of Representatives just advanced a bill to close any legal loopholes that would allow Whites-only housing and strengthen anti-discrimination laws in the state. But while the measure received unanimous support from the Democrats, not a single Republican voted for the bill, which now rests in the hands of the Senate.”
Return to the Land co-founder Eric Orwoll previously said, “We want to ensure that White Americans who value their ancestry will have the ability to do so, regardless of demographic changes. We’d like for a network of communities, community centers and recreational areas to be available to our members that affords them opportunities to celebrate their heritage with their folk.”
Supporters of all-White societies or communities often cite Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Divine Nine (which consists of the four predominantly Black sororities and five predominantly Black fraternities), in addition to cable networks like Black Entertainment Television (BET), as reverse racism and reverse discrimination.
But those institutions were created because Black people were excluded from all White institutions.
Furthermore, those institutions never excluded White involvement.
HBCUs and Divine Nine organizations were historically, and often predominantly Black, not exclusively Black.
Moreover, BET, which has often showcased non-Black talent, has not been majority Black-owned for more than a quarter century.
Black R&B, hip-hop, gospel and pop artists were provided a platform for their music videos in the early 1980s on BET when MTV refused to play Black talent.
Michael Jackson eventually broke the so-called MTV color barrier during his “Thriller” era because CBS Records threatened to pull all their White artists off the network.
Malley reported, “The leaders of the organization known as ‘Return to the Land’ proposed plans to expand their Whites-only towns across the United States. Plans to establish a settlement in Pennsylvania reached the attorney general’s office, which delivered a controversial review and findings concerning the group’s legality.
“State Attorney General Tim Griffin said in August that a preliminary investigation found the group broke no state laws, according to The Forward Association. This sparked major outrage from Pennsylvania Democrats, leading to Rep. Ben Waxman proposing a bill to close the legal loophole and block groups of this nature from discriminatory practices.”
Waxman said, “Legal loopholes are making it possible for discrimination to still exist today on the basis of religion. Let me be clear, though, religion should never be used as a pretext for hatred and bigotry.”
Under House Bill 2103, communities created under the disguise of a private club or member-only groups would not be allowed to bar membership based on race, ethnicity or nationality.
The bill also expands protections against bias in housing and employment for the LGBTQ+ community.
Return to the Land has proposed a White-only town in the Arkansas Ozarks.
The town is described as a private membership organization, which is allegedly exempt from federal housing laws.
Return to the Land vets prospective community members for European heritage and excludes people from the Black, Jewish and/or LGBTQ+ communities.
The group considers itself a White nationalist organization that fears White people becoming a minority group in America in the future.
The Arkansas Attorney General’s office is examining the group’s legality.
On May 4, Jade Campos of Lancaster Online reported, “The (Pennsylvania) bill’s opponents did not take issue with efforts to ban segregated communities. Instead, they said they opposed the part of the bill that would amend the state’s Human Relations Act to ensure people are not denied employment, housing or public accommodations based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Republicans argued the bill is written in a way that could allow transgender women to access women’s bathrooms and locker rooms…
“Introduced by Rep. Ben Waxman, D-Philadelphia, the bill was inspired by reports of an Arkansas-based organization called Return to the Land that attempted to create a housing community exclusively for White people in the state.”
Waxman said, “It was even more concerning to learn that his organization identified Pennsylvania as a possible place for expansion. This bill…says absolutely, ‘No, there is no room for that here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.’”
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) introduced the language that included protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
Kenyatta said, “For too long, certain Pennsylvanians, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community, have had to look over their shoulders. Wondering if at any moment they could lose access to employment or housing simply for being who they are—that has to end.”
