A federally employed black veteran was denied GI Bill housing loans

Evidence

In 1945 Hollis L. Metz was a returning black veteran and had been honorably discharged. He sought a VA-guaranteed loan in New Rochelle, New York. Employed by the federal government, his annual income (3,250) was above that of the average FHA mortgage insurance recipient (3,118), with a median monthly mortgage amount of 39.21. Metz also had 500 in savings. Yet he was denied the same no-money-down mortgage guarantee that the GI Bill made available to returning white servicemen. By August, he had been rejected by three different banks. As a result, Metz, his wife, and their two children “were ultimately unable to purchase the home of their dreams because of racial discrimination.” — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 370

Categorization

• SEED: Hollis Metz is a name to keep alongside Dorothy Vaughan (Hidden Figures) — a concrete individual whose story could anchor an article or talk on how the GI Bill’s racial bar compounded veterans’ disadvantage.
• XREF: connects to: The GI Bill opened elite law schools to talented veterans regardless of class. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 4058