Second Quarter 2022

If you have any calls or concerns regarding fair housing rights within Northern Alabama, please call our office at (205) 324-0111 or come see us at

1820 7th Avenue N., Suite 110 Birmingham, AL 35203

A Word from Executive Director Lila Hackett

Greetings!

This quarter has been a very busy one for staff at the fair housing center. With April being National Fair Housing Month, we were involved in a number of activities in commemoration. Our virtual reasonable accommodations training, our students’ poster contest and the awards reception were all special events, well attended and received very positive comments. We were thrilled to provide monetary awards to the students who submitted posters and to the student who wrote a poem entitled “Home.” These awards were made possible through the contributions of local banks for which we were most appreciative.

Our fair housing roundtable was a huge success even on a rainy day. Attendance was good and the exchange of information was beyond our imagination. Attendees left all fired up and asking for a follow-up session.

In addition to the aforementioned activities, we participated as guest presenters at other fair housing celebrations. But most importantly, was our response to the requests for services by complainants regarding allegations of discrimination. Resolving those issues is always our highest priority.

We are here to serve, so if you or anyone you know believes they have experienced discrimination, please contact the fair housing center. We investigate allegations of housing discrimination, teach fair housing education and conduct testing.

We look forward to hearing from you. Remember, “Fair housing is a right, not a privilege given to some and denied to others.”

News of the Board of Directors

We are happy to announce that Dr. Laura Whitworth will be stepping in as the new board president. She is a retired clinical psychologist who received both of her undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama. She began her career as the clinical director of a managed mental health care company, but soon realized the importance of working with individuals.

The Birmingham VA Medical Center fulfilled that need for her for twenty years. While there, she was fortunate to have a broad range of experiences at the VA, including working in both inpatient and outpatient substance abuse programs; working in a program designed for homeless veterans; evaluating patients in the emergency room; consulting on medical units; treating seriously mentally ill patients; and acting as a consultant to hospital administrators on a variety of issues and projects.

Since her family is from Marion County, Dr. Whitworth has rural roots. She grew up in Millbrook, a small town outside Montgomery. Her clinical internship at UAB brought her to Birmingham, where she settled in her first home ensconced in a historic district. Coming from a rural mindset, she had never considered the importance of fair housing. But working with a homeless population opened her eyes and made her aware of the difficulties that others face due to discriminatory housing practices. She said, "I’ve seen firsthand what a huge difference having adequate housing makes in both quality of life and peace of mind." We at the Fair Housing Center are looking forward to working with Dr. Whitworth in her new capacity as president of the board of directors.

Henry Ray is handing over the baton to Dr. Laura Whitworth and will be stepping down as the FHCNA president of the board of directors. Mr. Ray has served on the board for nine years. He is co-owner and President of Ray & Poynor Properties which owns the highest average list and sales price of any company in the top ten Greater Alabama MLS companies. His real estate expertise has been a huge asset to the work we do.

His other professional and civic associations include Magic Moments Advisory Board, Newcomen Society, Echo Foundation, UAB School of Nursing Board, Summit Club Board, Board of Advisors for Birmingham Southern College, St. Vincent’s Foundation Board, Birmingham Botanical Gardens Board, Birmingham Historical Society Board, Metro YMCA Board, Birmingham Rotary Club and an elder in the Presbyterian church.

Concerning his work at the center, Mr. Ray has stated, "Fair Housing applies to all people - that is the law. We are lucky to have a Fair Housing Center located in Birmingham that serves the northernmost part of our state guided by Lila Hackett and her able staff. These people care about people who need assistance." We at the Fair Housing Center are grateful he is only relinquishing his presidency and will still be an active member of the board.

Fair Housing Month Activities

Special Accommodations

Virtual Event

Our webinar on Special Accommodations was a success! It featured renowned civil rights lawyer, Sara Pratt. Her civil rights litigation practice focuses on the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and related civil rights laws, with an emphasis on challenges to institutional barriers to access to housing, lending, and insurance and to policies and practices that perpetuate segregation based on race, national origin, and disability.

113 people from all over the country registered to attend this virtual event.

Fair Housing in the Park

In celebration of National Fair Housing Month, we gave away free hot dogs, drinks, and chips at the Fourth Avenue North Historical Park on the corner of Fourth Avenue and 17th Street North. We were also able to give away free at-home Covid tests thanks to the good folks of Alabama Regional Medical Services.

Radio personality, Orlando Beavers with radio station WUHT, Hot 107.7 radio station did a live broadcast! The colorful WHUT van pumped out great tunes to help make the event more like a party!

Fair Housing Month Reception

We had a lovely time at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens where we held our Fair Housing Month Reception. There were so many people who came together to make it a success and we are grateful for each and every one.

The talented Ashley M. Jones, Alabama's youngest and first Black Poet Laureate, (pictured left) read some of her poems which explore themes of home. It was a moving reading, and it brought her work to life to hear it in her own voice. One of her students at the Alabama School of Fine Arts submitted a poem. Since the student-poet could not attend the reception, Elizabeth Murray, Education and Outreach Coordinator of the FHCNA, read the poem for her. This is the first year the FHCNA has had a creative writing component to our Fair Housing Month activities, and we are hoping to expand this part of our Fair Housing Month outreach and have even more students participate.

We also announced the winners of the Student Poster Contest. Keep scrolling to see their amazing work! We want to thank the art teachers at A H Parker High School, Ossie Ware Mitchell, and Booker T Washington K-8 schools for encouraging their students to participate in our contest. We would be remiss to not mention the help we received from Kecia Chapman, Executive Director of Assessment Accountability and Research at the Birmingham City Schools. Her help in getting the information about the contest out to art teachers and administration in the Birmingham City Schools was indispensable.

Last but certainly not least, we also thanked the banks who generously sponsored our Fair Housing Month activities. We are so grateful to Bancorp South, Regions, Renasant, and Trustmark banks for their generous contributions to these important activities which help to spread the word about the important activities of the Fair Housing Center.

Thank You for your Sponsorship!

A H Parker High School art teacher Michelle Harris hugging her student who was overwhelmed with emotion when it was announced that she won first place in the high school division. Lila Hackett, Executive Director and Kecia Chapman, Executive Director of Assessment Accountability and Research at the Birmingham City Schools. Bennet Jackson played solo guitar pieces to add a soothing accompaniment to the celebration and, new FHCNA board president Dr. Laura Whitworth is pictured with Lila Hackett and board member Ms. Nadine Smith.

Congratulations to the Poster

Contest Winners!!

Mekhiah Canady was the First-Place winner in the High School division. She won $1,000.

Shynia Davison was the First Place winner in the middle school division. She also won $1,000.

The second-place winners in the middle school division were Selena Cantu, Yasmine Korodowow, and Maya Moss. They worked together on their poster, and shared the second-place prize money of $500.

The third-place winner of the middle school division of the contest was Madison Cortes. She received $250.

How Can Community Leaders Dismantle Structural Barriers & Boost Mobility?

We had very enlightening and engaging conversation at the roundtable discussion held at Smithfield Library. The FHCNA provided a continental breakfast with coffee, fruit, and pastries. We were so pleased with the turn out; there were just enough people to ensure everyone could share their perspectives. Even better, the participants gave their viewpoints from varied sectors of our community. We had a real estate executive, a bank executive, a local neighborhood leader, a city councilor, two people from the Community Development department of the City of Birmingham, and three people who worked in housing from other nonprofit organizations. The conversation was inspiring and although we did not solve the problem of structural barriers to social mobility, the opportunity to engage with people with so many different perspectives felt like progress.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and we look forward to the next community discussion.

Pictured in back from left to right: Elizabeth Murray, FHCNA, Dr. Charlena Morton, Neighborhood Housing Services, Jay Williams, Low Income Housing Coalition of AL, Eula Jackson, Trustmark Bank, Jackie Betts, FHCNA, Cerita Tucker-Smith, Dream Home Realtors, Alice Williams, Community Development City of Birmingham, Sheena Ratcliff, Community Development City of Birmingham, Costella Adams-Terrell, Rising West Princeton Neighborhood President, Judy Woods, Operation Hope, Pictured in front: Lila Hackett, FHCNA and Carol Clarke, City of Birmingham City Councilor District Eight.

Our Accomplishments

April, May, June

Case Highlights

This case started when the complainant, a Black female, contacted our office trying to get help because her living conditions were uninhabitable, and she felt like management's lack of response to her requests was due to discrimination. The FHCNA was able to intervene on her behalf, and the landlord agreed to address the issues in her apartment. In a surprising twist, while the repairs were being done, she received an eviction notice which she also thought was discriminatory in nature.

When management filed the eviction notice in court and our client was notified, the FHCNA referred the client to Legal Services, and she obtained legal representation from one of their staff attorneys. She requested that the FHCNA, along with her Legal Services attorney, advocate for her at her court hearing. After one continuance and a failed attempt at mediation, the case again went before a judge. Unfortunately, her Legal Services attorney - due to a family emergency - was not able to attend the court hearing. FHCNA was able to step in and advocate for the client and the judge ruled in her favor at the hearing and she received a monetary award.