Structural racism in American society is not going away – and in our work, we know that segregation and concentrated poverty are driven historically by intentional federal and state actions and perpetuated today by “race-neutral” policies at all levels of government, and that racialized economic exploitation goes hand in hand with this system. We need to continue efforts to expand housing choice and undo government policies that separate us, and we also need to expand social housing as an alternative to profit-taking in low income communities. We know that the next administration may not be vigorously enforcing the affirmatively furthering fair housing mandate, but we also know that the principle of AFFH is expanding in the states, that state and local social housing policies are on the rise, and that the tenants’ rights movement is stronger than ever. So there is an opportunity for continued progress, even as we fight back against a new round of federal policy attacks.
NCSD at 15: Next Thursday, we will be marking the 15th anniversary of the National Coalition on School Diversity with a reception for coalition members, allies, and supporters at the Morrow Hotel in DC. Our movement has been making steady progress through both Democratic and Republican administrations, and our challenge now is to continue to build on this progress at the state and local level. For more information and to register, go to our event website.
p.s. – to receive this biweekly e-newsletter, sign up here.
p.p.s. – please also consider donating to PRRAC
