Webinar

NFHTA Forum | Housing Segregation Is Not an Accident: A Black History Month Event
February 16, 2022 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST
Online
Description
Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
The United States is racially and economically divided. Today's inequalities were centuries in the making - resulting from discriminatory government housing policies, restrictive covenants, housing industry practices, individual acts of housing discrimination, and local zoning and land use barriers. Current policies and practices may reinforce and perpetuate segregation and inequity, leading to significant racial gaps in homeownership and wealth. To commemorate Black History Month, this forum panel reviewed the historical actions that created segregated neighborhoods, current manifestations of housing-related discrimination, and some of the solutions that can be achieved through effective enforcement of fair housing laws and affirmatively furthering fair housing. More than 1,243 people joined the National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) for this public forum celebrating Black History Month. It provided opportunities for reflection on the importance of fair housing work and offered various calls to action for fair housing professionals to commit to leadership roles in establishing and implementing an equity agenda for all people.
Overview
- Welcome from moderator, Cashauna Hill, Executive Director at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center
- Opening remarks by Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
- Introduction of panelists:
- Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow with Economic Policy Institute, and author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
- Lisa Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fair Housing Alliance
- Ken Scott Managing Director-Consumer Fairness, Citi
- Presentation and discussion by panelists on:
- History of discrimination in housing and related markets that created segregation
- Government policies and programs that contributed to segregation
- Private market actions that contributed to segregation
- Current policies and practices that perpetuate discrimination
- Solutions to reverse the legacy and costs of housing discrimination and segregation
- The role of government in affirmatively furthering fair housing
- Question and answer session moderated by Ms. Hill
- Closing remarks by Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
A video of the forum has been posted on this page, along with a transcript of the conversation and a robust resources list for your continued reference.
Learning Objectives
- Comprehend the long history of housing discrimination and segregation
- Describe government policies that established a discriminatory housing market
- Increase understanding of how current discriminatory housing policies and practices perpetuate segregation
- Identify the connections between the costs of segregation to individuals, communities, and the entire nation
- Recognize how fair housing laws and practices that affirmatively further fair housing may be used to reverse discriminatory housing policies and decrease the racial gaps in homeownership and wealth
Audience
This forum is targeted to HUD-funded fair housing organizations (i.e., FHIP and FHAP professionals) and their fair housing partners (e.g., housing counselors, legal service providers, and civil rights advocates).
Materials
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Date Published: 2017
This seminal book documents how segregation is the result and byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels.
This webpage provides a visual representation of data from Urban Institute's report, The Cost of Segregation National Trends and the Case of Chicago 1990-2010. The visual allows users to view metropolitan regions in the study against each other and compare them in economic and racial segregation.
The Lasting Impacts of Segregation and Redlining
Date Published: June 24, 2021
This article details the long-term impact of segregation and redlining in multiple areas including economic opportunity, health outcomes, and the environment.
2017 Fair Housing Trends Report
Date Published: 2017
This 2017 report The Case for Fair Housing by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) presents the story of segregation within the United States and the need for fair housing.
2020 Fair Housing Trends Report
Date Published: 2020
This 2020 National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) report, Fair Housing in Jeopardy: Trump Administration Undermines Critical Tools for Achieving Racial Equity, describes the role housing discrimination plays within American society, including a section on the discriminatory effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date Published: January 19, 2022
This federally commissioned report by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) provides a comprehensive review of bias in the appraisal industry.
Federal Register: Restoring Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Definitions and Certifications
Date Published: June 10, 2021
This interim final rule by HUD restores certain definitions and certifications related to affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH).
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
This HUD website provides information regarding Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) and requirements of HUD and its recipients of federal financial assistance as stated in the Fair Housing Act.
This website published by Abt Associates and the NYU Furman Center provides information regarding local fair housing planning and is a resource for comprehensive, balanced, and equitable housing strategies.
FHEO Leadership Remarks

Demetria McCain
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
Live Roundtable




About the Forums
Forums are online conversations designed to allow multi-directional interactions between HUD and its FHIP and FHAP partners around emerging fair housing issues regarding processing complaints, conducting investigations, and managing agencies. Topics will evolve based on partner needs and interests.
Disclaimer: The National Fair Housing Forum webinar series provides training by and to HUD partners, including entities and persons participating in HUD's FHAP Program and FHIP Program. The series offers multidirectional idea sharing in real-time. The views offered by speakers and participants do not necessarily reflect HUD's views. Similarly, unless otherwise noted, documents provided as part of the webinar were created and maintained by other public and private organizations and may not reflect HUD's official position. HUD-produced guidance documents, except when based on statutory or regulatory authority or law, do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. Such guidance documents are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or HUD policies. The information is not intended to provide legal advice to any individual or entity. Please refer to relevant laws and regulations and/or your own legal advisor before taking any action based on information appearing on this site or any site to which it may be linked. Some materials have been translated into languages other than English; slight variations may have resulted from the translation.
Tags: Fair Housing NFHTA