Hello! Join us on Thursday, October 28 for NCRC’s free Fair Lending Tool webinar. Learn how you can use this powerful tool, available to all NCRC members, to produce a report on mortgages, small business lending and bank branch networks for any city, county or metro area in the nation.   Register now NCRC's Director of Research Jason Richardson will walk us through the tool using data on the Philadelphia MSA, highlighting key findings along the way. You'll also hear from local leaders about how they use this type of data to hold lenders accountable and work toward a just economy in their communities.  If you are not currently an NCRC member, join now to gain access to the Fair Lending Tool, along with many other benefits. Team NCRC

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 Howard County Libraries Open New Equity Resource Center About Racism, Culture, & History

The Howard County Library System on Monday unveiled a new Equity Resource Center and exhibit at the Central Branch in Columbia. The center houses a new equity collection of more than 9,000 fiction and nonfiction titles, featuring selections with themes such as the criminal justice system, emancipation, immigration and policing, according to a news release from the library system. The center, which was unveiled Monday afternoon before a crowd of community partners, also features the “Undesign the Redline” exhibit, which focuses on “redlining,” or the denial of services to residents of specific, often racially associated, communities or neighborhoods. The center aims to provide a space to educate community members on the experiences of people of different backgrounds and cultures, the library system said.

The “Undesign the Redline” exhibit, which was first hosted at the library in 2018, features an interactive timeline of instances of racial and social injustice throughout history from the Civil War to Black Lives Matter. The exhibit is currently scheduled to run through February.

The Equity Resource Center is located on the second floor of the Central Branch at 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. It also will show stories received through the Brave Voices Brave Choices initiative that started earlier this year. Community members are invited to reflect on personal experiences related to racism and discrimination by contributing stories through the library system’s website.

When there is not a formal library program, class or event in the space, residents are welcome to use the space informally, the release states.

People can tour the exhibit on their own, arrange private tours by emailing redline@hclibrary.org or registering for public tours at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays.

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Source: Allana Haynes, Baltimore Sun, September 28, 2021. 

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/cng-ho-library-equity-resource-center-20210928-nduzxwn5rrgddghcpeazz7mdrq-story.html

 FORUM ON DEBUNKING THE MYTHS OF APARTHEID AND BDS

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UPCOMING HOUSING TRAININGS IN MARYLAND

September 27, 2021 The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is hosting 2 free regional housing roundtables on September 28 and October 7. Check out the details below and register today! Please note that MCCR is currently conducting all trainings and programs virtually. To request an accommodation, please contact Spencer Dove at spencer.dove@maryland.gov JOIN US TOMORROW FOR OUR WESTERN MARYLAND ROUNDTABLE: Housing Issues in the Midst of a Pandemic: Violence and Bias in our Homes Tuesday, September 28, 2021 6:00pm to 8:00pm Register at mccr.events/WMDHousingRoundtable This interactive roundtable discussion brings together professionals to share information on the specific issues of domestic violence. child abuse, and bias that are confronting individuals and families in their homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic. These issues, though present before the Pandemic, have been enhanced and exacerbated by it. The presenters Include: Jason Lando, Chief of Police, Frederick Marlene Oleslak, Director, Jane’s Place Sarah Kaiser, Director, Family Crisis Resource Center Ramenta Cottrell, Director, Housing and Human Services, Frederick Sean Griffith, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Hagerstown FOR OUR FRIENDS & PARTNERS IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND: Click to edit this placeholder text. What Now? Housing Resources in Southern Maryland During the Pandemic Thursday, October 7, 2021 6:00pm to 8:00pm Register at mccr.events/SOMDHousingRoundtable Housing and all of the issues that follow are some of the most pressing problems facing our community today . During this time of COVID-19, it is even more important to understand housing resources that are available to persons in Southern Maryland. These resources, in the face of the ending of the moratorium, are vital and integral to a person's life Participants for the Roundtable include: Penny Scrivens, Housing and Resource Coordinator, Maryland Department of Disabilities; Consultant, Maryland Partnership for Affordable Housing Stuart Campbell, Director, Community Services Division, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Shawn Kingston, Executive Director, The Housing Authority of Calvert County Our Keynote Speaker is Robyn Dorsey, Director of The Fair Housing Action Center of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition. Robyn Dorsey is a social work unicorn with experience in program development, program evaluation, community organizing, legislative and regulatory advocacy, research, and direct service. She first came to the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) to manage the Securing Older Adult Resources (SOAR) program, then transitioned to being the Policy Research and Reinvestment Manager. In this role, Robyn led MCRC’s research work including Taking the Low Road: How Auto Insurers Drive Up Rates for Women. Robyn has built a community reinvestment program with statewide reach and a deep focus on the race-based disparities in and around Baltimore City. Now, Robyn serves as Fair Housing Director at the Fair Housing Action Center, a program of MCRC, by educating consumers about their housing rights, training housing providers, and developing a testing program to identify discrimination. Outside of work, Robyn can be found wandering in the wild, gardening, or reading The Pout-Pout Fish (with all the voices) over and over and over again. Don't Forget About MCCR's Free Public Trainings! You can head on over to MCCR's Education & Outreach Calendar (click here) to check out all of our currently scheduled free public virtual trainings on a number of topics, including: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Employment Discrimination Basics Dimensions of Diversity Sexual Harassment Prevention in Maryland - Basics Employment Discrimination for Supervisors ​Conflict Resolution in the Workplace Fair Housing: Know Your Rights​ Public Accommodations and Maryland Law: The Basics Space is limited so be sure to register today! Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

 Freddie Mac Study Finds Black And Latino Homeowners Are Almost Twice As Likely As Whites To Get Low Appraisals

A just-released report by Freddie Mac - a government-controlled entity that guarantees home mortgages - has found that home appraisers are more likely to undervalue homes in Black and Latino areas than those in white ones. This is just the latest evidence of significant racial inequities in housing which has directly led to lower rates of homeownership among Black and Latino households. 

Michael Bradley, a senior vice president at Freddie Mac, commented: 

"An appraisal falling below the contracted sale price may allow a buyer to renegotiate with a seller, but it could also mean families might miss out on the full wealth-building benefits of homeownership or may be unable to get the financing needed to achieve the American dream in the first place. This is a persistent problem that disproportionately impacts hundreds of thousands of Black and Latino applicants."

Freddie Mac's new analysis of over 12 million appraisals between 2015-2020 discovered that only 7.4% of appraisals in majority-white census tracts were below a property's contract price. This was 12.5% for Black and 15.4% for Latino census tracts, where homes were over two times as likely to be undervalued compared with those in white areas. The analysis also found that as the concentration of the Black or Latino population grew in a particular area, so did the share of undervalued appraisals.

The study reported that even when accounted for structural differences in homes and the unique characteristics of different neighborhoods, Black and Latino areas were still more likely to see lower appraisals. There was also no evidence that the disparity was caused by a small number of appraisers, the report said. The result of this disparity is evidenced by a 2018 Brookings Institution report that  found that homes in Black neighborhoods are worth 23% (an average of $48,000 per home) less than similar homes in neighborhoods with few or no Black residents. Freddie Mac said that the disparities in appraisals call for more research to determine the "full root cause of the gap."

Freddie Mac is one part of an ongoing initiative, along with its sister organization Fannie Mae, the Appraisal Institute and the National Urban League, that is attempting to increase diversity in the field of residential appraisal. The reason is that as of 2018 some 85% of appraisers nationwide were white, while fewer than 2% were Black, according to a report from the Appraisal Institute.

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Source: NPR, September 23, 2021.

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 

History of the Month

Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates U.S. Latinos, their culture, history, and contributions. The observance was started in 1968 by Congress as Hispanic Heritage Week. It was expanded to a month in 1988. The celebration begins in the middle rather than the start of September because it coincides with national independence days in several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica celebrate theirs on September 15, followed by
Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21. Here are some key facts about Maryland’s Latino population:

Fats & Figures

Some facts about the Hispanic population in Maryland:

• Families: 78% of households are family households.
  
• Languages: 78% speaks English well, 6% doesn’t speak English, and 0.7% speaks a language other than English or Spanish.
  
• Education: 40% of Hispanics have some college experience in 2019. Up from 38% in 2010.
  
• Jobs: Hispanic workforce: 208,308 jobs or 8.2% of Maryland’s workforce (Source: U.S Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, 2019).
  
• Income and Poverty: $74,631 median household income in 2019, up from $60,878 in 2010. 11.7% poverty rate in 2019, down from 13.7% in 2010.
  

Talented Minds

The next time you slide your pencil or pen onto your shirt pocket or stack of papers, give a nod to Mexican inventor and revolutionary, Victor Ochoa. The mind behind the pencil clip also invented the
electric braking system, making your train commute to work just a bit safer. (Smithsonian Education)

Did You Know?

• The Hispanic population of Maryland constituted 643,171 - 10.6% of the state’s total population - as of July 1, 2019. Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year estimates.
• Nine counties in Maryland have a population of 10,000 or more Hispanic residents in 2019: Anne Arundel (48,798), Baltimore County (48,074), Charles (10,211), Frederick (27,367), Harford (12,215), Howard (23,882), Montgomery (210,773), Prince George’s (177,727), and Baltimore City (33,652).
• There was an increase of 4,432 from 2018 to 2019 in the number of Hispanics in Prince George’s County, the biggest jump in this population during this period. The median age of the  Hispanic population, up from 28 in 2010.
• The median age of the Hispanic population in Maryland was 29 in 2019, up from 28 in 2010.

Read more about National Hispanic Heritage Month.

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Source: Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation, September 2021.