CHAPA Annual Fair Housing Symposium: Advancing Responsible Fair Housing

Everyone has the right to choose where they want to live, free from housing discrimination in a community where they can thrive. Join us on April 25th for virtual CHAPA’s Fair Housing Symposium as we commemorate the 56th year since the signing of the Fair Housing Act and examine the critical work needed as we look to the future of fair housing.

Our symposium will open with a framing remarks by Daniel Weaver, Regional Director at the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Dr. Michael Akinwumi, Chief Responsible AI Officer at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) will be our first presenter. At NFHA, he is tasked with critical responsibilities, including the development and implementation of responsible AI policies and guidelines that prioritize fairness, privacy, security, explainability, reliability, and non-algorithmic solutions.

Following the presentation we will hear from a panelist of experts including:

• Dr. Michael Akinwumi, Chief Responsible AI Officer, NFHA
• Jean Michael Fana, Former Education and Advocacy Manager, Harborlight Homes
• Jamie Williamson, District Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Our second presentation will be by Dr. James Jennings who will share highlights from the recent report, Advancing Fair Housing in Greater Boston, Massachusetts: Voices from the Field, which shows the need to ensure that amplifying calls for increasing the affordable housing supply is consistently conjoined with ‘affirmatively furthering fair housing,’ not just to do the “right thing,” but to be in compliance with required federal laws and regulations. For additional context, check out Senator Lydia Edwards and Dr. James Jennings' recent Boston Globe op-ed.

The presentation will be followed by another expert panel:

• Dr. James Jennings, Lead Researcher, Professor Emeritus, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University
• Kadineyse Paz, Assistant Researcher, Neighborhood Fellow, Tufts University
• Cashauna Hill, Executive Director, The Redress Movement

This year, we are also proud to honor the work of the following Fair Housing champions during the symposium:

• Dr. Tiffany Manuel, Founder and CEO, TheCaseMade
• Deb Crossley, Community Activist, former City Councilor, City of Newton
• Moddie Turay, President and CEO, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
• Affordable Inclusive Milton, residents committed to advocating for increasing the supply of affordable housing in Milton and diversifying the Town’s population

Register now and join us virtually on Thursday, April 25th, 1:00-4:00 pm!

Please contact Whitney Demetrius (wdemetrius@chapa.org), Director of Fair Housing Engagement, with any questions about this event questions about this event or if you need interpretation services or other accommodations. Closed captioning and Spanish interpretation will be available.