On This Day in History Quilt for April 11.
On this day in 1968, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental or financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. Gender was added to that list of criteria in 1974 and people with disabilities in 1988.
Gayle Simpson of Newbury Park, California made this small, house-shaped quilt, titled “All Homes Need Quilts,” in 2012 for the Quilt Alliance’s annual quilt contest. From Simpson’s artist statement: “We live in humble houses, high rise spaces, Brownstones, condos, trailers, apartment buildings, small houses, big houses and cars or shelters. Every home needs a quilt. I think this is why we donate so many community quilts from our Guilds. I learned to quilt so that I could make lasting art, and the most caring, special presents for friends and loved ones. We had no quilts when I was growing up. Ten years ago I found a baby quilt that an estranged Grandma had made for me. I had owned a quilt all along …and never knew it.”
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about it’s history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1968
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org