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This year marks the 57th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the final major piece of civil rights era legislation, a law outlawing racial discrimination in housing and fostering racial integration and access to opportunity. Today’s crisis of housing affordability, evictions, displacement, and the growing racial wealth gap clearly shows the FHA’s promise has not been fulfilled and access to housing and property ownership is still deeply racialized. And the current presidential administration's recent rollback of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule is a further step in the wrong direction.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to work together toward a vision of a just housing system in which racial hierarchies have been eliminated, where housing is a public good, and everyone – regardless of their race – has affordable and dignified housing. Our Housing and Land Justice Initiative brings together community coalitions, local government, and mission-aligned housing development organizations to achieve this vision. Because housing justice is racial justice.
Much of the public discourse about the national housing crisis is missing considerations of systemic racism and the voices of those most impacted by housing injustice. At Race Forward, we bring a root cause analysis of housing injustice and collaborative governance models to win root solutions for housing justice led by communities of color and supported by allies in government.
— Ryan Curren
Director of Housing, Land, and Development
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Housing Justice is Racial Justice
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Community organizers, residents with lived experience of housing injustice and artists came together for a Housing Justice Narrative Convening to use positive housing narratives in their campaigns. The real stories of residents and organizers powerfully remind us why fighting for housing justice is so important and why it's a critical racial justice issue.
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Here are videos from the convening that you can use to bring more people into the movement for housing justice and shift the public debate in support of housing solutions that address the root causes of our unjust housing system.
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Housing and Land Justice Artist Fellows — One Year Later
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Last year, Race Forward announced its first ever Housing and Land Justice Fellowship cohort. Nine artists were awarded $20,000 to produce an original artwork or cultural production that incorporates the core narratives from the housing justice story platform published in our Housing Justice Narrative Message Guide and PolicyLink’s Housing Justice Narrative Toolkit.
Here’s a look at what’s moving for four of our HLJ Artist Fellows:
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Autumn’s fellowship project was one of the 14 selected for last year’s Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy. For Memory Portal Tree, she compiled multimedia oral histories of Black descendants from Southern California whose ancestors experienced land theft at the hands of white-led local governments. These multimedia were then sculpted into a tree. Autumn’s project highlighted the ongoing efforts coordinated by the organization, Where is My Land, and local residents to push the City of Santa Monica to restore beachfront land back to the family of Silas White, the owner of the Ebony Beach Club.
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Autumn is currently an artist-in-residence with For Freedoms, a nonprofit collective centering art as a catalyst for civic engagement, conversation and action. Her residency is based at George Washington University and the National Gallery. Her new project is called PROPHECY BOX, which is an algorithmic (AI) art exhibit, in the form of old school fortune teller machines. Her exhibit highlights the prophecies of Black women about our society whether related to politics, health, culture, etc. that tend to be true.
Follow Autumn on Instagram: @autumnbreon
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At last year's Facing Race, Taishona presented the power of media in racial justice with her interactive art exhibit, "Liberated Archives." This expansive exhibit, produced by Don't Shoot PDX for Memory Works for Black Lives, highlighted themes of systemic oppression, displacement, and collective resistance in Portland, with an emphasis on the lived experiences of communities of color. "Liberated Archives" has been presented throughout the Greater Portland area, including at the University of Portland and the University of Oregon. Most recently, Taishona brought the exhibit to South by Southwest (SXSW) in March.
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In February, Taishona co-curated "Room for Conversation," an immersive exhibit at The BLACK Gallery featuring an oral history booth that invited visitors to host sit-in's in the form of civic discussions about pathways to advocacy and mutual aid. She also produced the "Black, Black History Month" pop-up museum, funded by 1803 Fund.
Don't Shoot PDX will be moving into the Center for Social Justice in downtown Portland later this year, where its Memory Lab will house a community archival collection of art and rare books. The location will also work in partnership with Black-led, trauma-informed art therapists for public programs. In addition, Don't Shoot PDX is currently working on an arts and education-based Juneteenth curriculum for incarcerated youth at the Donald E. Long Detention Center.
Follow Taishona on Instagram: @highimtai
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Lauren’s vision for housing justice centers the vision of an abolitionist future. In “Making Room for Abolition,” their in-person and interactive exhibit shows audiences how homes and belongings reflect the world outside, especially in her home city Detroit, Michigan.
Recently, Lauren released a new podcast limited series based on “Making Room for Abolition.” Produced in collaboration with Respair Production & Media, "Carceral Fictions & Abolitionist Realities" features six episodes interviewing Detroit-based organizers as they share their reflections on spatial justice, gentrification, food justice, water access, educational equity, restorative justice, and Black liberation.
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Anu is producing a one-woman interactive musical entitled, "WE THE POOR," a semi-autobiographical play featuring original songs about a young South Asian woman who lives with her mother after her father has passed away. In the midst of their grief, the young woman goes against her mother’s wishes and joins a local tenant union to challenge the unsafe housing conditions they experience. The play will engage audiences by inviting them to bring mementos honoring their ancestors (familial or otherwise) and to share their hopes and dreams for their neighborhoods and communities.
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Root Solutions for Housing and Land Justice
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Local communities are organizing for transformative housing solutions, while racial equity practitioners in local government work to implement these solutions effectively. "Root Solutions for Housing and Land Justice" is a new series of briefs highlighting successful race-informed policies and programs that inspire others to build equitable housing and community wealth models.
Each brief presents race-informed policies and plans that address root causes of racial disparities in housing and development. These briefs build on the analysis presented in Race Forward’s “Root Causes of Housing and Land Injustice” series.
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Our first brief offers case studies on affordable housing funding practices. This resource supports community members seeking transformative housing solutions, government partners, and mission-aligned housing finance and development organizations.
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Policy Innovation Lab — 2024 Recap
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Public policy has wide implications that affect individuals and communities. However, traditional policymaking often operates in siloes that exclude their most vulnerable constituents.
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Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity
Save 15% with Early Bird Pricing!
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Early bird rates are now available for our first ever multi-day convening for narrative strategists, communicators, creatives, storytellers, racial justice advocates, and movement builders. Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity–the anchor event for Cultural Week of Action 2025 – represents Race Forward’s commitment to building both the narrative and cultural power needed to advance a just, multiracial democracy.
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At Just Narratives, we’ll:
- Align our narrative and cultural strategies to shift hearts, minds, and policies towards a more just and thriving future
- Strengthen cross-racial, cross-movement solidarity to withstand our opposition’s efforts to divide us
- Identify and advance impact storytelling for collaborative governance that our communities and movements need and deserve
- Share lessons learned using art, culture, and media to amplify narratives for racial justice
- Ignite the mass courage needed to make our racially just future undeniable
Limited tickets are available at our lowest rates until May 5. Get yours today and join us in St. Louis this November!
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Shop online at our new store and choose from an array of products like shirts, water canteens, hats, and sweaters. No matter the weather, we make history together!
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Subscribe to The Fire We Face Newsletter
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The Fire We Face is a newsletter for those committed to protecting democracy, racial equity, and public service in the face of systemic threats. As we monitor the Trump Administration’s embrace of Project 2025 and other anti-democratic, racist initiatives, The Fire We Face will document actions targeting federal agencies and civil servants striving to serve the public equitably. Through in-depth analysis, reflections, and tangible examples, this newsletter aims to empower readers with the knowledge to understand and navigate these challenges.
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Sign the Solidarity Pledge
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It takes people power to bring on the necessary change our communities need. Our partners Make the Road and CASA in partnership with other immigrant rights groups, have filed a FOIA demanding info on the Trump Administration's new guidance authorizing arrests in sensitive locations.
Over 5K people across the country have signed the #SolidarityPledge. Join the movement by signing the pledge at solidaritypledge.org!
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Follow us on Bluesky!
Given the current political climate and our declining engagement on Twitter, we have made the decision to remain inactive on Twitter until further notice.
To keep the conversation going, we encourage you to join us on Bluesky. Be a part of an ever-growing network of racial justice advocates as we continue to share engaging content that moves the needle to a just, multiracial democracy.
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John, solving the housing crisis requires exposing and changing policies, practices, systems, and structures that create racial disparities that harm us all. But we remain steadfast in our vision for housing and land justice as a critical pillar of our multiracial democracy. May you take this time during Fair Housing Month to explore how you can become a part of the solution.
In solidarity,
Race Forward
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Services for Organizations
Race Forward is committed to transformational, sustainable change for racial justice. We provide services to help organizations develop and advance racially equitable policies and practices.
Our services are developed and delivered by a multiracial and multigenerational team of experts with extensive knowledge and experience in various areas, including policy and program development, leadership development and strategic coaching, community organizing, and racial equity.
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