Federal housing officials Thursday moved four black families into a public housing project in Vidor, Texas, a nearly all-white town where previous attempts to integrate the complex failed.
The only previous black residents of the project left because of alleged racial harassment in the town of 12,000.Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros last fall declared the project to be in breach of contract with the federal government and forced local housing officials to resign.
In a statement released Thursday in Washington, Cisneros said the integration of the Vidor housing units was a "milestone" in healing for the small southeast Texas town 80 miles east of Houston.
"Today, Vidor has shown its real face to America. Its essential decency and goodness is shining through. Given a chance, people of good will have prevailed," he said.
Roberta Achtenberg, a HUD assistant secretary, told reporters at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Vidor that the action "symbolized the victory of Americans right to live where they choose regardless of race."
After the families were settled into their new homes, some white residents spontaneously organized a welcome for them at the housing complex activities center, she said..
"One of the new African-American tenants expressed from her heart of hearts how profoundly grateful she was to her neighbors for having welcomed her," Achtenberg said.
The HUD official said she was confident there was adequate protection for the 12 new residents at the facility.
Earlier Thursday, HUD spokeswoman Sharon Maeda said more black families would be moved to the housing complex in coming weeks. The first four families were picked from 100 applicants.
Security fences and gates were erected at the complex this week to guard against outside agitation.