Integrating Levittown

We are proud to co-sponsor this important event with The Peace Center.

Join us on Tuesday, April 14th to hear from the family of William and Daisy Myers, the first Black family to move into Levittown, Pennsylvania, as well as the family of their supportive Jewish neighbors, the Wechslers.

WHO WERE THE MYERS?:

A Black middle-class family (William was an engineer and Army veteran; Daisy was an educator). In 1957, they moved into Levittown, which had been an all-white suburb due to discriminatory housing policies.

WHY THEY’RE HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT:

-They were the first Black family to live in Levittown, PA.

-Their move challenged segregation in northern suburbs—not just the South.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?:

-Their arrival triggered violent protests from white residents:

-Crowds gathered outside their house

-Rocks were thrown and threats were made

-Hundreds of neighbors tried to force them out

-A group called the “Levittown Betterment Committee” formed to oppose them.

-State police had to intervene to protect the family.

WHY THEIR STORY MATTERS:

-Their case became a national civil rights story

-They received support from civil rights groups and allies

-Their struggle helped expose housing discrimination in the North and contributed to momentum for the Fair Housing Act of 1968

Daisy Myers was later nicknamed the “Rosa Parks of the North” because of her role in challenging segregation outside the South.