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A middle-class African American veteran of World War II who tried to move to Levittown, Pennsylvania with his family in 1957, but was met with an angry white mob that camped outside his home for several weeks. The police did nothing, and although the state government finally got the mob to disband, Myers and his family left the neighborhood anyway after four years, since they felt “constantly under threat” living there. His experience demonstrates the extent to which racist violence, condoned by the state, prevented even African Americans of great means from integrating into white neighborhoods.
Bill Myers Quotes in The Color of Law
The The Color of Law quotes below are all either spoken by Bill Myers or refer to Bill Myers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 9
Quotes
“N_____ have moved into Levittown!”
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State-sponsored violence was a means, along with many others, by which all levels of government maintained segregation in Louisville and elsewhere. The Wades and Marshalls were only two middle-class families confronted with hostile state power when they tried to cross the residential color line. How many other middle-class African Americans in Louisville were intimidated from attempting to live in neighborhoods of their own choosing after hearing of the Wade and Marshall experiences? Did the next generation imbibe a fear of integration from their parents? How long do the memories of such events last? How long do they continue to intimidate?
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Bill Myers Quotes in The Color of Law
The The Color of Law quotes below are all either spoken by Bill Myers or refer to Bill Myers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 9
Quotes
“N_____ have moved into Levittown!”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
State-sponsored violence was a means, along with many others, by which all levels of government maintained segregation in Louisville and elsewhere. The Wades and Marshalls were only two middle-class families confronted with hostile state power when they tried to cross the residential color line. How many other middle-class African Americans in Louisville were intimidated from attempting to live in neighborhoods of their own choosing after hearing of the Wade and Marshall experiences? Did the next generation imbibe a fear of integration from their parents? How long do the memories of such events last? How long do they continue to intimidate?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
