Webinars, Expos, and Workshops, Oh My! Check Out ERC’s Fair Housing Month Events.
By: Nick Adjami
March 26, 2024
April is Fair Housing Month! We’re excited to announce our biggest slate of events ever, featuring Know Your Rights webinars, in-person resource fairs, and more. All events are free and open to the public. We’re especially excited to invite you to the ERC’s Annual Meeting, which will take place on April 25th. This year’s theme is Weathering the Storm: Protecting Civil Rights in 2025. RSVP to attend!
Full Calendar of Events
See event descriptions below. We don’t yet have all the information for these events, so be sure to bookmark this page and we will update it as that information becomes available.
April 4 – Fair Housing Friday 1
April 5 – NAACP Arlington Fair Housing Conference
April 8 – Anne Arundel County Know Your Rights Webinar
April 11 – Fair Housing Friday 2
April 12 – NOVA Housing Expo
April 17 – West Virginia Human Rights Commission Fair Housing Conference
April 18 – Fair Housing Friday 3
April 19 – Laurel Housing Resource Fair
April 22 – NAACP Fairfax County Meeting
April 23 – Maryland Commission on Civil Rights: Virtual Panel on Source of Income Protections
April 23 – Alexandria Fair Housing Month Event
April 25 – Fair Housing Friday 4
April 26 – Live in Arlington Information Fair
April 26 – Fairfax County Black Homeownership Forum
April 30 – Economic Action Maryland: Fair Housing Panel
Fair Housing Fridays
Time: Each Friday in April, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Place: Online, registration links to be shared soon.
Details: ERC has partnered with the DC Office of Human Rights, Department of Housing and Community Development, Office of the Attorney General, and Office of the Tenant Advocate to offer four virtual sessions on fair housing hot topics. Renters, homebuyers, homeowners, and housing professionals alike should attend to learn about their fair housing rights and obligations.
Anne Arundel “Know Your Fair Housing Rights” Webinar
Time: Tuesday, April 8th, 4:00 – 4:45 PM
Place: Online, register here.
Details: This webinar concludes a six-part series hosted by the ERC and Anne Arundel County, MD. Join us to learn about your fair housing rights as a renter, homebuyer, or homeowner. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how to identify and respond to possible housing discrimination.
Northern Virginia Housing Expo
Time: Saturday, April 12th,10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Place: Meridian High School, 121 Mustang Alley, Falls Church, VA 22043. Next to West Falls Church Metro Station.
Details: The 15th annual Northern Virginia Housing Expo will be full of resources for first-time homebuyers and renters looking for housing in Northern Virginia. More than fifty representatives from nonprofits, mortgage providers, and government agencies will be in attendance. Can’t come in-person? Check out the Virtual Exhibit Hall.
West Virginia Human Rights Commission Fair Housing Month Conference
Time: Thursday, April 17th, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Place: Morgantown Marriott, 2 Waterfront Pl, Morgantown, WV 26501
Details: This event, intended for housing professionals, will educate attendees about fair housing laws and best practices for compliance. ERC staff will lead a session on barriers that people with disabilities face in regard to housing, and how housing providers can address those barriers.
Harford County Fair Housing Month Event
Time: Thursday, April 17th, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Place: Harford Community College (Edgewood Hall 132), 401 Thomas Run Rd, Bel Air, MD 21015
Details: This event is designed to connect Harford County renters with resources and assistance. Speakers will explain new fair housing rights and obligations established by the Maryland Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024.
Laurel Housing Resource Fair
Time: Saturday, April 19th, 12:00 – 3:00 PM
Place: Laurel Multiservice Center, 204 Fort Meade Rd, Laurel, MD 20707
Details: This event will connect Laurel-area residents with fair housing resources and expertise. Attendees will find information about how to identify and respond to possible housing discrimination.
NAACP Fairfax County Branch Meeting
Time: Tuesday, April 22nd, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Place: Location TBA
Maryland Commission on Civil Rights: Virtual Panel on Source of Income Protections
Time: Wednesday, April 23rd 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Place: Online, register here.
Details: In Maryland, it is illegal for a housing provider to discriminate against a current or prospective tenant because they use a housing voucher to pay all or a portion of their rent. Nonetheless, such discrimination still occurs. This virtual panel will help renters and housing professionals alike navigate Maryland’s source of income protections, identify possible discrimination, and take action to address it.
Alexandria Fair Housing Month Event
Time: Wednesday, April 23rd
Place: Location TBA
Equal Rights Center Annual Members Meeting
Time: April 25th
Place: Location TBA
Details: The theme for our annual meeting is Weathering the Storm: Protecting Civil Rights in 2025. Join us for a complimentary lunch and hear about the work we’ve been doing to uphold civil rights in housing, employment, and public accommodations. We also want to hear from you! Tell us about the fair housing challenges facing you and your community. We’ll provide more details about this event soon.
Live in Arlington Information Fair
Time: Saturday, April 26th 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Place: Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 S. 16th St, Arlington, VA 22204
Details: Sponsored by Centro de Apoyo Familiar/Center for Assistance to Families (CAF) and the Arlington County Housing Division, this fair will connect Arlington-area residents with community services. Attend workshops on homebuying, assistance programs, and an ERC-led session about identifying housing discrimination.
Fairfax County Black Homeownership Forum
Time: Saturday, April 26th, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Place: Gum Springs Community Center, 8100 Fordson Rd, Alexandria, VA 22306
Economic Action Maryland Fair Housing Panel
Time: Wednesday, April 30th, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Place: Baltimore County Northpoint Library, 1716 Merritt Blvd, Dundalk, MD 21222
NAACP Arlington Fair Housing Conference
Time: Saturday, May 3rd
Place: Location TBA
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The ERC is a civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington DC and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it through the use of testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action. For more information, please visit www.equalrightscenter.org.
The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.
