Dear friend, In January 2019, I joined the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) as a researcher and consumer advocate against predatory high-cost lending. I had an interest in growing my ability to practice applied research for policy change, but I also had a personal connection to the organization. I live in North Carolina, and remember when payday lending was in existence, because my parent took out a payday loan, thinking it would only be ‘for a short while.’ I also remember how much financial and emotional strife my household experienced to pay back the loan for over a year; it wasn’t until another family member assisted us with paying it off that we were able to escape the financial quicksand. Today, North Carolina as well as 17 other states and the District of Columbia have capped rates, effectively limiting payday lender’s reach and harms. In my childhood, I wasn’t aware of CRL’s advocacy on this issue, yet it came full circle when I joined the organization. The protections my family received were in part due to CRL. I know my family isn’t the only recipient of the work of CRL and consumer advocates. Since its inception in 2002, the Center for Responsible Lending has been a leading organization in the fight for economic justice. We have worked with consumer advocates to push for policies at the state and federal level that will protect all consumers, especially those who have generationally been harmed by our financial market. As we move into the 20th year of our work, we want to continue to provide families with real opportunities to build and maintain wealth, reduce the racial wealth gap, and address the systemic inequality that holds back low-to-moderate income families, people of color, women, veterans, and other financially vulnerable communities. | 
