On April 20, 2026, Campbell Shaw, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator, headed to Lakewood City Council to show support for a resolution declaring April 2026 as Fair Housing Month in the City of Lakewood. ACAR, representing roughly 6,000 real estate professionals across northeast Ohio, was proud to be there in support.
The declaration acknowledges the landmark Fair Housing Act, signed into law on April 11, 1968, which set the national standard for combating housing discrimination and racial segregation. It’s a law born out of struggle, out of marches through hostile streets, legal battles, and the tireless advocacy of people who refused to accept a country that denied equal access to housing. Lakewood’s declaration is a reminder that honoring that legacy is an active, ongoing commitment.
For ACAR’s roughly 6,000 real estate professionals across northeast Ohio, fair housing is foundational, not a footnote in a continuing education course, and not simply a compliance checklist. It’s a lived professional value rooted in the belief that every person deserves equal opportunity to own, use, and transfer property in a free and open marketplace.
The Council’s action also serves as a call to community leaders throughout Lakewood to use this month as a platform, to educate residents about their housing rights under local, state, and federal law, and to make clear that discrimination has no place in a thriving, inclusive city.
This April, keep an eye out for metro bus ads spotlighting Fair Housing Month across the region. They’re a small but intentional reminder of why this work matters and why it’s worth showing up for, in council chambers, in classrooms, and in every transaction.
ACAR is proud to stand alongside Lakewood and the broader communities of Cuyahoga, Portage, and Summit Counties in this commitment. The door to equal opportunity in housing should be open to everyone, and ACAR will keep working until it is.
View the agenda for the 4/20 meeting, which introduces April 2026 as Fair Housing Month, here.
