Who is your person? Big Bill Broonzy

What are they known for? He was a very influential blues/jazz music artist.

Why did you choose them? I wanted to do a musician and I thought his name was interesting.

Influential work sample (poem, song, piece of art, etc): The Glory of Love

Connection to Harlem Renaissance Core Themes: His music connects to the Harlem Renaissance theme of pride in Black Identity. He made non-profit music with the intended audience of other Black Americans.

Lasting Impacts: He changed the music industry by being one of the pivotal members in the transition from Country to Electric blues.

Connection to today: Beyonce recently put out a country song, something different from the rest of her discography, despite her saying that she grew up with country influences. Her renewed interest in country music, much like how Big Bill Broonzy did, is reinventing music made by black artists.

What is your program? Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

What Great Depression issue is it trying to address/solve? The FHA attempted to solve the housing issues of the Great Depression such as home financing, improving housing standards, and increasing home-construction employment rates.

How effective was your program in the short term? If the program is around today, how effective is it today? While the FHA was able to provide millions of Americans with affordable housing, they were pretty discriminatory. They believed in creating racially homogenous neighborhoods, thus creating a lot of discrimination toward families of color. The FHA is still around today, however it is much less discriminatory.

What changes has the program seen over time? Why? Throughout the 1960s up until the 1990s, the FHA has made many improvements. In 1968, they passed the Fair Housing Act, allowing the benefits of the FHA to be more accessible to minority families. In the 1980s, they made it more accessible to people regardless of race or gender.

How was the program received? (was it supported or did it receive pushback?) It was well received by white, nuclear families but since it was highly prejudiced against families of color, specifically African American families, it didn't generally have their support.

Connection to today with a current event (if it no longer exists, is there something around trying to address the same problem?) The FHA recently announced that they will be releasing a new Payment Supplement for those who are struggling to keep their homes.