Milgram, Morris, 1916-1997

Morris Milgram was born and raised in New York, the son of Jewish parents working in the garment industry. He attended City University of New York from where he was expelled after leading a protest against a university-sponsored visit by Italian fascist students. He finished studies at Dana College (later Newark University) and started working for the Workers⁰́₉ Defense League, first as executive secretary and eventually as national secretary. In 1947 he resigned from the Workers⁰́₉ Defense League and joined a Philadelphia construction company run by his father-in-law. After spending the first five years with the company learning all the basics of the construction business, from tax codes to zoning rules, Milgram inherited the company and focused on building and developing integrated housing communities.A social activist and civil rights trailblazer, Milgram believed firmly in the possibility of racial harmony and based his efforts in the assumption that blacks should have the same access to housing as whites. Probably the biggest obstacle to the achievement of his goals was the difficulty in obtaining financial funding for his plans; Milgram was frequently rejected by banks and other financial institutions he approached for investment and venture capital. He finally found an investor and associate in George Otto, a Quaker attracted to Milgram⁰́₉s social activism and ideas. Otto helped Milgram elaborate a sound investment plan and together they secured the necessary funds to buy a tract of land in Bucks County, PA and developed Concord Park, their first project of integrated housing.In addition to problems with financing Milgram⁰́₉s future projects would also be affected by the reluctance of white home buyers to live in integrated communities. In every new project development Milgram would find a surplus of qualified black buyers and not many whites willing to move to integrated communities. In a decision that gave plenty of ammunition to his critics, Milgram decided to establish quotas to ensure a racial balance. He also suffered a big financial and moral setback when the Supreme Court decided against him in the Deerfield case. Having bought land in Deerfield (Chicago, Illinois) with the purpose of building an integrated community, the town took Milgram to court on the grounds that the land was originally zoned for a recreational park. After several years of efforts in building integrated housing and facing the same recurring problems, Milgram decided to change strategies. Around 1965 he and his associates started buying (as opposed to building and developing) existing housing and modifying rental policies to make them more congruous with their goals.In all, Milgram provided integrated housing to more than 20,000 people in Philadelphia, California, Boston, New York, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Cambridge, Chicago, and Washington. In 1968 he became the first recipient of the National Human Rights Award issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

From the description of Morris Milgram papers 1923-1994, undated (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 761392348