HRCF Will Host Forum On Racist Housing Policies

HAMPTON ROADS
Registration is now open for The Color of Law: A Virtual Evening with Richard Rothstein, which will take place online on February 25 at 6 p.m. 

The discussion will uncover the long history of explicit local, state, and federal government policies that encouraged residential segregation – now contributing to more recent social strife and unrest. This event is a part of the community foundation’s Understanding Hampton Roads series which seeks to engage the community around critical issues affecting the region.

“The Hampton Roads Community Foundation firmly believes that racial equity is essential to the success of our region and advancing a more equitable and inclusive community is core to our mission,” said Vivian Oden, Vice President for Special Projects, Hampton Roads Community Foundation.  “Through this event, we intend to address structural racism embedded in our culture and reflected in housing policies that continue to threaten opportunities for everyone in our region to thrive.”

In a virtual discussion about  racist housing policies, “The Color of Law” Author Richard Rothstein reveals how our government segregated America.

Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute as well as a Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, spent years documenting the evidence that government not merely ignored discriminatory practices in the residential sphere, but promoted them. The impact has been devastating for generations of African Americans who were denied the right to live where they wanted to live and raise and school their children where they thought best.

The event includes community participation with an expert panel moderated by Jamilah LeCruise, a Norfolk-based attorney and immediate past president of the South Hampton Roads Bar Association. Providing additional commentary are local industry experts, Dr. Johnny Finn, Associate Professor of Geography at Christopher Newport University and Eugenia Jackson, President of the Hampton Roads Association of Real Estate Brokers.

There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required at ColorofLaw2021.eventbrite.com.

The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is southeastern Virginia’s largest grant and scholarship provider. Since 1950 it has awarded nearly $300 million in grants and scholarships to make life better in Hampton Roads. Learn more at http://www.hamptonroadscf.org.