On This Day In History: Robert C. Weaver Becomes The First Black Person Appointed To A Presidential Cabinet
President Lyndon B. Johnson established HUD and appointed Black economist Robert Weaver to lead the agency paving the way for new leaders to come.
Robert C. Weaver became the first Black member of a presidential cabinet 55 years ago. President Lyndon B. Johnson on Jan. 13, 1966, appointed Weaver to lead the then-newly created Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in a role meant to represent the issues and concerns of approximately 130 million people living in metropolitan areas at the time.
Weaver had a strong civil rights background, previously serving as the chairman of the board for the NAACP. As the head of HUD was a proponent of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Preceded by the Housing and Home Finance Agency, the creation of HUD marked a new focus on policymaking for those living in urban areas. A 1966 Time Magazine profile called “Hope for the Heart” characterized Weaver as a “connoisseur of urban living.”
READ MORE: On This Day In History: Robert C. Weaver Becomes The First Black Person Appointed To A Presidential Cabinet
https://newsone.com/4077233/robert-c-weave...
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Saturday, February 11th 2023 at 11:21AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
