Like many housing organizations, we’ve been talking a lot recently about what we can do to support the work of righting the wrongs that have been inflicted on African Americans by centuries of systemic racism. Homeownership is an illustrative example. Next week in our blog, we’ll be talking about the wealth gap between whites and Blacks.
In this field, we know that for most Americans, homeownership has been the principal path toward building wealth. Decades of public policy in this country intentionally excluded Blacks from an equal opportunity to homeownership. This has built up over generations to the vast disparity in wealth that we see today. As an industry, this is something that we can hold ourselves accountable for and work to change.
Last week our board had a lengthy and thoughtful conversation about what our organization can do. We have some ideas. We can assemble data for education, build an actionable policy agenda, and form a partnership of statewide housing groups with whom to collaborate.
We’ll be talking with you more about these activities soon. But we’d also like your ideas about how HousingForward Virginia can help to make this a catalytic moment that results in real changes in housing disparity rather than just a moment of reflection. Please let us know what you think.