Injustice In Brick & Mortar?
How Race & Poverty Affect Affordable Housing Purchases:
Topic of Annual Conference

(Chicago, IL) – Racism and poverty. In few places do these twin demons come together like they do in the arena of affordable housing. All across the cities of America, working families are losing ground. Even two income families are being stretched to the limit and most are falling short in their ability to buy homes even with interest rates almost as low as they can possibly go. Affordable housing is disappearing faster than expensive condos are being built. All of this is occurring as public housing is being demolished. These realities do deep harm to the poor and even deeper damage to minorities who tend to be the poorest of the poor.

The Community Renewal Society (CRS) will address these issues at its fifth annual State of Race & Poverty Conference on Saturday, November 9, 2002 at Malcolm X College, located at 1900 West Van Buren on Chicago’s west side. The conference will focus on how racism and poverty affect obtaining affordable housing. Registration and check-in will begin at 8:00 a.m. with breakfast and the conference will conclude at 1:00 p.m.

Conference keynote speaker will be Alex Kotlowitz, author of the groundbreaking book, “There are No Children Here.”

The event will also feature several teach-ins facilitated by experts that represent institutions that combat affordable housing issues. Institutions that will be represented are: the Chicago Rehab Network, the Coalition for the Homeless, the Center for Neighborhood Improvement at UIC, the Jane Addams Senior Caucus and representatives from The Chicago Reporter and CATALYST: Voices of Chicago School Reform, publications of the Community Renewal Society.

“Racism does not just live, it thrives. From restrictive covenants and red lining, minorities have been confined to areas of the city. Recent studies and investigations reveal that such is still the case and that the federal government is not interested in challenging this injustice,” states Rev. Calvin S. Morris, Ph.D., executive director of CRS.

Conference sponsors include BP, The Northern Trust Company and Chicago Tribune.

Founded in 1882, the Community Renewal Society is a metropolitan Chicago social justice organization that works to empower people to dismantle racism and poverty in order to build just communities.