Addressing Racial and Economic Disparities

TO TRULY ACHIEVE RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE, WE MUST TACKLE DISPARITIES FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES. At Fair Share Housing Center we see housing as a central tenet of community resilience, while also recognizing the interconnectedness of housing and other social issues. We know that to truly achieve racial and economic justice, we must tackle disparities from multiple angles. We partner with community stakeholders, government officials, and advocacy organizations to address the racial wealth gap and secure investments that benefit communities of color. Our current work in this area includes convening the United Black Agenda, participating on the Governor’s Wealth Disparities Task Force, supporting legislation to tackle wealth disparities, and advocating for equity in the newly established cannabis industry.

United Black Agenda (UBA)

The UBA is a coalition convened by Fair Share Housing Center that provides a shared space and collective voice to promote the health and welfare of Black New Jerseyans. Its member organizations—the NAACP New Jersey State Conference, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the Inclusion Project at Rutgers, the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, the New Jersey Black Multi-Faith Alliance, Salvation and Social Justice, Monarch Housing, and Fair Share Housing Center—have used their shared power and organizing skills to contribute to numerous victories that benefit Black New Jerseyans and broader communities on issues ranging from civil rights and criminal justice reform to housing, education, economic vitality, health, and environmental justice.

Tackling Racial Wealth Disparities

Our team serves on Governor Murphy’s Wealth Disparities Task Force and our Deputy Director, Rev. Eric Dobson, is the Co-Chair of the Housing Subcommittee. In addition to our participation on the Task Force, we also advocate for policies that will help address the significant racial wealth gap in New Jersey. Access to homeownership opportunities plays a critical role in addressing intergenerational wealth, and we support first-time homeownership programs targeted at first-generation homeowners, where individuals are able to purchase homes in areas where home prices are appreciating rather than depreciating or remaining stagnant. We are also working in partnership with the NJ Institute for Social Justice to lead a coalition in support of a bill that would target appraisal bias in New Jersey.

Addressing Racial & Economic Disparities

New Jersey’s newly established cannabis industry creates a unique opportunity for communities of color that were most harmed by cannabis prohibition. We are working alongside racial justice advocates throughout the state to advocate for equity in the cannabis industry. By providing meaningful access to the industry, communities of color can tap into a new source of wealth generation. Fair Share Housing Center believes that revenue generated from sales must be reinvested back into those communities to repair decades of harm.

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When you give to Fair Share Housing Center, you are advancing the fight for affordable housing in the courtroom, at the State House, and in our nation’s capital.