The Equal Rights Center

Mr. Roderick V.O. Boggs was the Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for 45 years, from 1971 to 2016. As Executive Director, Mr. Boggs supported the founding of the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, Fair Employment Council of Greater Washington, and Disability Rights Council of Greater Washington (which eventually merged to become to Equal Rights Center) with the purpose of using civil rights testing to inform and support the WLC’s efforts. Mr. Boggs oversaw the WLC through many successful collaborations with the ERC and its predecessor organizations and has left a lasting imprint on the civil rights landscape in D.C. and across the country.

In 1960, Reverend James “Jim” Macdonell founded Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, MD, as its minister, declaring himself and the congregation in service of the civil rights movement. One of his proudest moments was participating with other faith leaders in the 1963 Voting Rights March in Selma, AL, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1983, Rev. Macdonell co-founded the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington and served as President of the organization’s Board of Directors for the next 30 years through its transition into the Equal Rights Center.

Reverend Dr. John O. Peterson served as pastor at Alfred Street Baptist Church in the District from 1964 to 2006. When he moved to the area in 1964, Rev. Dr. Peterson experienced housing discrimination firsthand when he tried to buy a house in Alexandria, VA. He was forced to buy in D.C. instead, and the experience shaped his lifelong commitment to civil rights. In addition to co-founding the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, Rev. Dr. Peterson also served in the Alexandria branch of the NAACP, the Northern Virginia Urban League, and the Alexandria School Board.

Reverend Monsignor Ralph Kuehner served on the Fair Housing Council’s Board of Directors from its founding in 1983 until 2009. He was a seminary Scripture teacher for 17 years before he moved to the D.C. area, where he worked as a parish priest and then directed various offices for the Archdiocese of Washington. In addition to his work with the Fair Housing Council, Rev. Msgr. Kuehner co-founded SOME (So Others Might Eat), Victory Housing, Community Ministry of Montgomery County, and the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.

Rabbi Bruce Kahn served in the US Navy Chaplain Corps for 28 years and as a congregational rabbi for 25, first at Congregation Or Ami in Richmond, VA, and then Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, MD, until 2001. After co-founding the Fair Housing Council in 1983, Rabbi Kahn served on its Board of Directors until 2004, when he took over as Executive Director of the Equal Rights Center. He led the organization for nearly five years before returning to the Board of Directors. Now retired, Rabbi Kahn continues to practice a deep commitment to civil rights and volunteers rabbinically for Temple Shalom.

A D.C. native, Reverend Dr. David Eaton became the first African American minister of All Souls Church, Unitarian, in the District in 1969. He served for 23 years and established a spirited religious community dedicated to diversity, inclusivity, and supporting the civil rights movement. In 1964, Rev. Dr. Eaton co-founded the Washington Institute for Employment Training and later helped develop a low-income housing community in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. Aside from the church and his position as a founding board member of the Fair Housing Council, he was a close advisor to D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and served as President of the D.C. School Board.

In 1978, Reverend Dr. Byrd was called to serve as an assistant minister at People’s Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. As a founding board member for the Fair Housing Council, he advocated for equal access to housing and Fair Housing Act enforcement. His dedication to faith, civil rights, and mentorship also led him to the classroom, where he taught future faith leaders at the Howard University School of Divinity.