The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, LCCR has partnered with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the National Fair Housing Alliance to create a national, bipartian fair housing commission to investigate the alarming state of U.S. housing in the wake of the subprime housing debacle.

On December 9, 2008, the commission released its findings and recommendations in a comprehensive report, The Future of Fair Housing: Report of the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Commissioners

The national commission is co-chaired by two former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretaries, Henry Cisneros and Jack Kemp.

Other Commissioners include:

• Pat Combs, 2007 President, National Association of Realtors
• Okianer Christian Dark, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law
• I. King Jordan, President Emeritus, Gallaudet University
• Myron Orfield, Executive Director, Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota
• Gordon Quan, Former Mayor Pro Tem and Chair of the Housing Committee, City of Houston

Regional Hearings

The commission held several hearings to hear testimony and gather information about the extent of housing discrimination across the country and its effect on our communities. Each day-long meeting focused on a specific challenge.

• Chicago:  The Impacts of Urban Revitalization (July 15)
• Houston: The Re-Segregation on the Gulf Coast in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (July 31)
• Los Angeles: The Foreclosure Crisis (September 9)
• Boston: The Effects of Housing Discrimination on Education and Children (September 22)
• Atlanta: Federal Accountability and Enforcement of  Fair Housing Laws (October 17)

More Information

• The Future of Fair Housing: Report of the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
• About the Commission
• Bipartisan Commission Releases Report on Fair Housing - 12/18/08
• Housing Discrimination Leading To Foreclosures? - Wade Henderson interview on NPR - 12/9/08

Press Releases

• Bipartisan Fair Housing Commission Recommends Independent Enforcement Agency - 12/9/08
• Bipartisan Commission Brings Investigation of Housing Discrimination to Atlanta - 10/17/08
• Bipartisan Commission Brings Investigation of Housing Discrimination to Boston - 9/22/08
• Bipartisan Housing Commission Investigates Effects of Housing Discrimination on Education and Employment - 9/22/08
• Rep. Waters Joins Housing Experts to Discuss Foreclosure Crisis & Need for Stronger Fair Housing Enforcement - 9/9/08
• Bipartisan Commission Launched to Investigate Housing Discrimination in America - 7/15/08