Beginning his career in the Negro Baseball League with the Birmingham Black Barons, Willie Mays had a tremendous career. When the New York Giants relocated their team to San Francisco in 1957, the future was looking even brighter for Mays. Then he tried to buy a house.
Mays and his wife Marghuerite found their dream home nestled in Sherwood Forest with an asking price of $37,000. Mays agreed to the asking price and was even ready to pay cash. So what could go wrong?
White neighbors hated the idea of living near a Black family. One resident told reporters he didn’t want his property’s value to drop because “coloreds” had moved in. The intense pressure caused the seller to decline the sale. San Francisco’s mayor had to jump in to prevent what he called “a PR nightmare.”
The seller eventually changed his mind again and agreed to the sale, but by then, the damage had been done. The NAACP took action to prevent housing discrimination, paving the way for changes in local legislation that led to the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Wealth, fame, and talent couldn’t insulate Mays from housing discrimination. He deserved better, and his experience is a powerful reminder of the work that still needs to be done. We cannot earn our way out of racism.