AFFH: alive or dead? Good question. In an “Interim Final Rule” published in the Federal Register this week, the Trump Administration put forth a meaningless new “definition” of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing obligation, and removed all accountability provisions, including the weak system of reporting set up by the Clinton Administration back in 1994. Of course, the 1968 Fair Housing Act is still in effect, and it’s going to be up to advocates to challenge the policies that perpetuate separate and unequal communities. In the meantime, some progressive state and local governments have adopted their own AFFH laws (including CA, NY, and MD), a trend which we hope will expand now that HUD has eliminated meaningful federal oversight. For more information on the IFR, see this explainer from PolicyLink.
NCSD 2025: At last week’s 5th National Conference on School Diversity, we took stock of the challenges facing our movement, heard from local activists continuing the work all over the country, and were treated to a powerful history lesson from Michelle Adams, author of The Containment (see below). The conference was an affirming experience and a reminder that we must keep doing the work and cannot lose hope (even as the Trump Administration tries to eliminate the Department of Education). NCSD also unveiled its brand new website at the conference, which was made possible thanks to the leadership of NCSD’s Communications Manager Jenna Roberson.
Other news and resources
Civil rights history: As a followup to The Containment, two of Michelle Adams’ students at University of Michigan Law School created a “Detroit School Integration Timeline,” including a comprehensive history of Milliken v Bradley, and the events leading up to and following this landmark setback for housing and school integration.
MORE BOOKS!
Professor Susan Sturm’s new book, What Might Be: Confronting Racism to Transform Our Institutions, delves into some of the embedded paradoxes of pursuing anti-racism work within existing institutions. If you are in the DC area, Susan will be doing a book talk in conversation with PRRAC Board Chair Olati Johnson, at the PRRAC offices on March 19, 5:00-7:00 (RSVP here).
Dismantling the Master’s Clock: On Race, Space, and Time by our colleague at PolicyLink, Rasheedah Phillips, is described by her publisher as “a radical new treatise on time, quantum physics, and racial justice.” We previewed some of Rasheedah’s related work in Poverty & Race last year, and we are looking forward to reading more! Upcoming book talks listed here.
Professor Deborah Archer’s new book, Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality will be published next month, and Deborah has book launch events scheduled on April 15 at NY Historical and April 17 at Politics and Prose (DC). We will also be previewing Dividing Lines in our upcoming Poverty & Race special issue on transportation equity.
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