Workshop and
Speakers
#FHCRC2024
18TH ANNUAL
Fair Housing &
Civil Rights Conference
April 10–12, 2024
2024 Conference Workshops
April 10, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Morning Plenary
State of Fair Housing
Hear from fair housing center advocates on tools and strategies on the ground, including litigating with the state agencies as well as in state and federal court to enforce civil rights laws.
Moderator: Rashida Rattray, Education & Outreach Coordinator, CT Fair Housing Center.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Building a Career in Advocacy
Presented by:
Chelsea Donaldson, Staff Attorney, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.
Caroline Foley, Staff Attorney, Immigration Unit, Central West Justice.
Chiedza Rodriguez, Attorney, CT Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
Join us for a conversation with three attorneys in government and legal aid to talk about their path to their work, as well as the challenges and triumphs of working in public interest advocacy. For those just starting their careers or for anyone seeking to connect with others who have chosen mission-driven work, these panelists will have an open conversation about their journeys, staying sharp in an ever-changing field, finding motivation, and avoiding burnout.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Addressing Gender Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) in the World of Work
Presented by:
Jill Ashton, Northeast Regional Administrator for the US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau.
Alison Bitterly, Trial Attorney, US EEOC New York District Office.
Alison Stanton, Vice President of Community & Citizenship of Turner Construction Company.
Shamaiah Turner, Business Representative for the Northeast Regional Council, SMART
Women deserve safe and respectful workplaces but cannot achieve equality and economic security for themselves and their families as long as gender-based violence and harassment persists. Learn about how the Women’s Bureau, in partnership with the International Labour Organization, alongside federal partners at EEOC are working to champion policies and standards throughout the U.S. by encouraging the integration of ILO C190 – Violence and Harassment Convention strategies in policies and laws to prevent and address GBVH in the world of work.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Fair Housing: How State Agencies can Support Fair Housing Advocates and Protect Fair Housing Rights
Jillian Fisher, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
Kimberly Jacobsen, Managing Director, Employment Commission Counsel, Legal Division at Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
Malcolm Peyton-Cook, Associate Director for Affirmative Enforcement, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights.
Representatives from state commissions against discrimination share their perspective on statewide efforts to enforce civil rights laws. They will discuss how statewide agencies promote and protect civil rights, and the trends they’ve seen in the past year.
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunchtime Plenary
Affirmative Action in Education and Diversity Initiatives in the Workplace: Navigating the Impact of the Landmark Supreme Court Decision, SFFA vs. Harvard
Zelda Harris, Dean of WNEU School of Law.
Sheldon Lyke, Associate Professor, Loyola School of Law.
Jocelyn Samuels, Vice Chair, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Join us for a thought-provoking session as our distinguished panelists discuss the complexities of racial equality, access, and inclusion in the wake of the June 2023 landmark Supreme Court decision Harvard vs. SFFA where the Court held that race- based Affirmative Action programs in college admissions processes violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment.
The panelists will examine the Supreme Court ruling, and its implications for the future landscape of both higher education and the workplace. Participants will gain insights into the legal arguments behind the decision, its impact on college admissions processes, and the broader implications for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in academia and the workplace.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Fair Housing 101
Presented by:
H. John Fisher, Way Finders.
Michelin Cahill, Community Legal Aid.
When we speak of fair housing rights, we are drawing on an interplay of federal and state regulations that can vary in their specifics from state to state but still share a common purpose. With primary focus on one state (Massachusetts), this workshop will explore the basics of how federal and state fair housing laws can join together to create an overall pattern of protection.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Hands On Defense Model – Preventing Housing Discrimination for Justice-Involved Individuals
Presented by:
Leslie Credle, Founder and Executive Director of Justice 4 Housing (J4H).
Riley Smith, Hands On Defense Program Manager, Justice 4 Housing.
J4H will conduct a workshop on how to use its copywritten Hands On Defense (HOD) model. HOD disrupts the discriminatory process that public housing authorities use to exclude individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. The HOD model has been 97% successful at effectively mitigating evictions, reasonable accommodations and overturning denial of public housing/vouchers at the appellate level. Attendees will learn the HOD process and other innovative ways to successfully house justice-involved and formerly incarcerated individuals who have experienced an unfavorable CORI background screening.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
How the U.S. Justice Department and Massachusetts Public Defenders challenged Systemic Police Misconduct in Springfield
Jessica Lewis, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Massachusetts
Bill Newman, ACLU of Massachusetts
Meredith Ryan, Attorney
April 11, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 10:00a.m.
Morning Plenary
Emily Drabinski, President, American Library Association
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Low-Barrier Service Models, Harm Reduction, and Housing First
Presented by: Melanie Alvarez, Director of Programs, The Friendship Center.
Low-barrier service models are essential for serving people experiencing homelessness. By incorporating Housing First principles, providers can promote accessibility and equity when addressing needs of individuals in crisis. Starting with a focus on addressing housing needs, and identifying safe and appropriate diversion to alternative housing opportunities, this approach centers the person in finding housing solutions.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Emergency Assistance/Homelessness and Migrant Crisis in Massachusetts
Panelists:
Elizabeth Alfred, Staff Attorney – EA Shelter, Greater Boston Legal Services
Alexandra J. Bonazoli, Coordinating Attorney, Immigration Unit, Central West Justice Center
Massachusetts is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, with high rents and low inventory leading to increased displacement and homelessness. While Massachusetts has long led the country by providing a unique, limited right to shelter for eligible pregnant individuals and families with children experiencing homelessness, the past couple years have seen that system strained to capacity, and new, unprecedented limits implemented, including a waitlist system. This panel will explore different civil rights facets of this ongoing crisis, including issues relating to housing discrimination, anti-immigrant bias, and others.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Environmental Justice
Panelists:
John Fisher, Fair Housing Manager, Way Finders.
Samantha Hamilton,Director of Coalition Building and Community Engagement for the Public Health Agency of Western Massachusetts.
Rusty Polsgrove, Environmental Justice Organizer, Arise Springfield.
Doug Quattrochi, Executive Director, Massachusetts Landlords.
Put most simply, environmental justice means that all people have the right to be free from environmental pollution in all of its forms and have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment. As a movement, it can be local in nature, focusing on a particular building or neighborhood, or it can draw together much large numbers of people in response to the wider environmental effects of factors such as climate change, racism, income, and other forms of discrimination. The panel will discuss what environmental justice can mean, both locally and regionally, and suggest some strategies by which it might be furthered.
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunchtime Plenary
Rights at Risk: Understanding and Exploring LGBTQ+ Rights In Turbulent Times
Jennifer Levi, Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLAD and Professor at WNEU School of Law.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
EEOC Listening Session
Panelists:
Anastasia Doherty, Trial Attorney, Boston Area Office of the EEOC.
Alvin Mallette, Lead Education & Outreach Coordinator, New York District.
Elizabeth Marcus, Mediator, EEOC.
A lively session that will cover topics like artificial intelligence, construction, EEOC’s new Strategic Enforcement Plan and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Policing by Any Other Name
Panelists:
Tanisha Arena,Executive Director, Arise for Social Justice.
Madeline Weaver Blanchette,Senior Supervising Attorney, Family Preservation Project, Community Legal Aid.
Liz Bewsee, Housing and Economic Justice Organizer, Arise for Social Justice
Alyssa Golden, CORI/Reentry Senior Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Aid.
Rafael Irizarry-Fields, Staff Attorney, Public Defender Division, Committee for Public Counsel Services.
While the manner in which the criminal court system disproportionately targets low-income people and communities of color is widely recognized, less attention is paid to the way that civil legal systems operate to influence, control, and ultimately track certain populations into the criminal court system. This panel seeks to examine the impact of various civil functions of the state, including the child welfare system, the school to prison pipeline, as well as the collateral consequences of the criminal court system.
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Reimagining Our Approaches to Sheltering People Experiencing Homelessness
Panelists:
Shaundell Diaz, Coordinated Entry Coordinator, Three County Continuum of Care, Community Action Pioneer Valley.
Matthew Doherty, Consultant, Matthew Doherty Consulting.
Tim McCarthy, Director, Craigs Doors.
Nan Sibley, Community Action Pioneer Valley.
The national Framework for an Equitable Homelessness Response project helps people responsible for solving homelessness – local leaders, city officials, housing and services providers, organizations, state health and human services departments, and many others – reimagine their systems and make innovative changes so that everyone has a safe place to live. In this workshop, participants will learn about the Framework project’s effort to transform how communities shelter people experiencing homelessness and recommended approaches and principles for such transformation efforts. Participants will be asked to actively explore how their organizations and partners can begin to apply those approaches and principles within their own communities.
April 12, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Morning Plenary
Andrew Leland. Author, “The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight”
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Essential But Ignored: Civil Rights Issues Facing Farmworkers
Panelists:
Claudia Quintero, Central West Justice Center, Seasonal and Migrant Farmworker Unit Attorney and WNEU School of Law Professor.
Maya McCann, Central West Justice Center, Seasonal and Migrant Farmworker Unit, Farmworker Medical Legal Partnership Attorney and EJW Fellow.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Tools for Protecting and Promoting Affordable Housing in our Communities
Panelists:
Maria Cuerda, Fair Housing Testing Coordinator, CT Fair Housing Center.
Pamela Heller, Staff Attorney, and Co-Director of Fair Housing Enforcement, CT Fair Housing Center.
Rose Webster Smith, Program Director, Springfield No One Leaves.
Maureen St. Cyr, Executive Director, Massachusetts Fair Housing Center.
Creative advocacy and community-building is more necessary than ever to protect and expand safe, affordable housing in our communities. Staff from fair housing organizations along with tenant organizers discuss tools and strategies they’re using to address the affordable housing shortage in the region. The panel will include their perspectives on preventing and combatting source of income and voucher discrimination, the latest gains in tenant organizing, and where they’re focusing their legislative advocacy for a more equitable housing landscape.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
The Future of Civil Rights: Tools for Advancing Democracy
Moderator: Bob Terrell, Executive Director, Boston Fair Housing Commission
An examination of the major trends and issues in fair housing, civil rights and democracy today. Participants will not only learn the importance of these issues but why they are strategic for the future of democracy in the United States. This workshop is designed to be informative to any and all participants at the conference but will have significant impact even on those with little civil rights background.
Panelists:
Zakiya Alake, Education and Outreach manager, Boston Fair Housing Commission
Dwayne Watts, Deputy Director, Boston Fair Housing Commission
Jamie Williamson, Executive Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Region II
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunchtime Plenary
Tackey Chan. State Representative, Massachusetts, 2nd Norfolk District