By Kate Scott, Deputy Director
Join the ERC and Partners in Celebrating Fair Housing Month at These Events Around the Greater Washington DC Region
This week marked the anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination on April 4th, 1968. Just seven days later, on April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law. Each year in April we mourn Dr. King’s untimely death and celebrate the law’s passage during Fair Housing Month. Fair Housing Month provides us with the opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come in promoting equal access and enjoyment of housing that is free of discrimination. It’s also an opportunity for us to recommit to working to end discrimination in housing and taking action to bring awareness to communities nationwide about their fair housing rights.
The Equal Rights Center has been fighting housing discrimination since 1983 and we continue to be committed to ending housing discrimination in the Washington, DC, metro area and nationwide. As such, the ERC is excited to be co-sponsoring several free fair housing events around the greater Washington, DC region in honor of Fair Housing Month!
April 24, 2017 – Transformative Integration: Changing Times in Fair Housing
This symposium includes a keynote address from Professor Sheryll Cashin, who has worked in the White House as an adviser on urban and economic policy, particularly concerning community development in inner-city neighborhoods. Her book Place Not Race was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction in 2015. The doors open at 3 pm and the speakers will talk from 3:30 pm to 5 pm with an hour-long reception following. From 6 to 8 pm, there will be four workshops on various fair housing topics for advocates, tenants, and housing providers. Registration is free and available here.
April 27, 2017 – Fairfax County Fair Housing Month Training and Luncheon
The training will be from 10:15 am to noon and the luncheon is from noon to 1:45 pm. Both are free but you must register in advance to attend. The training provides an introduction to local and federal fair housing laws. It also will cover a wide range of current fair housing trends and frequently asked questions. The annual event will take place at Waterford at Fair Oaks (12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax Virginia 22033). You can register here.
May 17, 2017 – Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST Design & Construction Training
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST
is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to promote compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements. This free training will be held from 8 am to 4:15 pm at the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale, VA and will cover Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements, with individual modules on accessible bathrooms and routes. It is registered with the American Institute of Architects, so architects can receive up to 6 continuing education HSW credits for attendance. You can register here.
If you or someone you know has experienced housing discrimination in the greater Washington, DC, metro area, you can report it to the Equal Rights Center by calling 202-234-3062 or emailing info@equalrightscenter.org.
