James Hugo Sporleder
James Hugo Sporleder (born February 21, 1938) is a civil rights activist recognized for his work with the Freedom of Residence Movement, the driving force behind the landmark Jones v. Mayer Supreme Court case that invalidated racist practices of homebuilders in St. Louis, Missouri.
Biography[edit]
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Freedom of Residence[edit]
Sporleder was the lead staff person of Freedom of Residence, an early fair housing organization in the 1960s. Freedom of Residence was the driving force behind the landmark Jones v. Mayer Supreme Court case that invalidated racist practices of homebuilders in St. Louis. The Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse said this of Jones v. Mayer:
“This case was one of the most important civil rights precedents of the 1960s. It began when the Plaintiffs, prospective African-American homebuyers, applied to purchase a property from Defendant-home developer, who rejected them solely on the basis of their race. Plaintiffs sued in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri under 42 U.S.C. 1981, 1982, 1983, and 2000e, alleging that a race-based denial of a home purchase violated federal civil rights laws, especially the requirement in 42 U.S.C. 1982 that: ‘All citizens of the United States shall have the same right, in every State and Territory, as is enjoyed by white citizens thereof to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property.’”
Sporleder began working at Freedom of Residence in 1968 as the case was already en route to the Supreme Court. He worked with the legal team, headed by Sam Lieberman, to bring to fruition this landmark case. As important he then continued to push the implementation of the new law of the land through Freedom of Residence. When he testified to the United States Senate in May 1972 on these same unfair practices of lenders and real estate developers, he said:
“When Lockheed was in trouble, this government figured out a way to help. When the oil industry was in trouble, we helped them. When ITT got into trouble somebody figured a way to help out And now the people are in trouble. The people are hurting and asking for help. [...] We cannot sweep these practices and exploitive operations of the combination of lenders, real estate dealers, insurance people, and politicians under the table. It must stop.”
History[edit]
Sporleder also worked for the Urban League, the Nurse Home Visitation Program, the Judevine Center and Jeff Vander Lou, Inc. (JVL). His work at JVL is the second highlight of his professional career. He was the de facto Chief Operating Officer of JVL from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, working side by side with Macler Shepard, the longtime leader and founder of the organization. JVL was a community development organization working in the north city area bounded by Jefferson, Vandeventer and St. Louis Avenues. JVL was a leader in the region in that it was run by local residents and produced affordable housing for both families and seniors, created an innovative partnership with Brown Shoe Company that led to a production plant in the neighborhood, opened a coffee shop and day care center.
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