Issue # 601
INSIDE
THE
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P.6
P.9
Liberia’s president loses reelection bid and has conceded
A F R IC A N
NOVEMBER 20-26 , 2023
C OMM U NI T Y
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N E W S PAP E R
Nadia Mohamed becomes first Somali elected mayor of U.S. city
Rwanda’s ambassador visits Minnesota to promote trade
Muslim military chaplains documentary premieres on PBS
Mayor-elect Nadia Mohamed speaks to supporters at Westwood Hills Nature Center after she became the first Somali elected as mayor of a U.S. city on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Mshale Staff Photo by Jasmine Webber
submission for P.10 Oscar Shabalala biopic
By Susan Budig Mshale Contributing Writer In 2019, 23-year-old Nadia Mohamed made history when she became the youngest person elected to the city council in the city of St. Louis Park. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Mohamed made history again, this time as the first Somali immigrant elected as mayor of a U.S. city, and the first Black mayor of the suburban city in the Minneapolis metro area. In her victory speech, Mohamed credited her mother for her win. “She gets to go and watch her daughter legislate in the same building where she used to go to pay her public housing rent.,” said Mohamed. Mohamed won 58.45% of all cast ballots by registered voters, defeating her opponent Dale A. Anderson. Mohamed first ran for elected office in 2019 and won a position as an at-large councilmember. She was 22 years old and a fresh college graduate. She attributed her political success to the St. Louis Park Human Rights Award, which she won in March 2019. She said she entered politics because she saw the need for voices
like hers—a person of color, an immigrant, a renter, and a woman. Four years on the St. Louis Park Multicultural Advisory Committee prior to elected office also provided her with the experience needed to lead with competency. The Multicultural Advisory Committee plans and implements efforts to connect various communities within the city. Mohamed kicked off her campaign for mayor in May at the Westwood Hills Nature Center on May 31, the same place where she held her elections night watch party. Incorporated as a village in November 1886, St. Louis Park grew from 31 people to a first-ring western suburb of Minneapolis with more than 50,000 people, 77% whom identify as white, 8% as Black, 5% as Latino, and 4% as Asian, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data. Mohamed attended Aquila Primary as a 4th grader, when she (at the age of 10) along with her mother and siblings joined her father in Minnesota. Mohamed continued in the St. Louis Park school See Mayor-elect on Pg. 8
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November 20-26, 2023 Issue 601
Introducing Twin Cities artist Kprecia Ambers “The whole point of it is to be able to connect with people, and I feel like I do that through my words and my visions, or through the visuals I use.” As part of Artist Spotlight, Kprecia hopes people will find themselves in her illustrations and feel the confidence to find their shine.
discover Kprecia Ambers’ collection
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Guest Commentary by Josephine Kalipeni
Paid family and medical leave would help millions of workers, their families and employers In a country where most people must work to make ends meet, work isn’t working for most families. The impossible, exhausting cycle of careers and caregiving doesn’t allow for real work-life balance. Workers and their families are tired, and we’re paying the price for living in a country that doesn’t have a care infrastructure to support them. We are struggling to hang onto our jobs while caring for our families. Fortunately, there is an opportunity to change that this week. Today, the Senate Finance Committee will hold its first-ever hearing on paid family and medical leave. The United States is the only member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that does not require workplaces to provide paid family and medical leave as a benefit of employment. When nearly all developed countries have acknowledged the importance of paid family and medical leave, the silence of the United States is ominous. Nearly half of U.S. families live on the edge of financial ruin, according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development. This financial precariousness forces people to make the impossible choice between caring for sick or elderly family members and financial disaster. The AARP found that there are 53 million caregivers in this country; that doesn’t include parents caring for children, grandparents caring for children, or young adults and children caring for an adult. Many of these caregivers are also working. Households of color are more likely to be multigenerational, with children and elders who depend on breadwinners. Women of color are disproportionately affected by the absence of paid family and medical leave. Black women, in particular, are more likely to participate in the workforce and serve as the primary breadwinners for their families, meaning we often face the difficult task of juggling both caregiving and work. Without paid family and medical leave, our entire families are vulnerable to circumstances that are often unpredictable. Paid family and medical leave would allow workplaces to retain talent, provide financial leverage for people to participate in the economy, and keep families afloat during times of crisis. But it is also scarce — especially for people in lower-paid and hourly positions. Implementing paid family and medical leave at the national level not only benefits families, but it also has the potential to improve businesses and communities. Companies are likely to see reduced turnover and more job satisfaction and productivity from their employees. A financially secure family is better equipped to contribute to the local community and will have more money to
Join the Mshale Text Club: Text AFRICA to 24587 or follow us onTwitter.com/Mshale Community News, updated daily on Mshale. com © 1995-2023 Mshale Communications, Inc. Mshale – The African Community Newspaper Editorial & Corporate Office: 2 E Franklin Ave., Suite 1 Minneapolis, MN 55404 Mailing Address: P.O.BOX 80071, Minneapolis, MN 55408 Tel: 612-454-5648 Email: mshale@mshale.com www.mshale.com President & Publisher: Tom Gitaa Contributing Editor: Edwin Okong’o Staff Writers: Kari Mugo, Bethel Gessesse, Cynthia Simba, Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Milkee Bekele Contributing Writers: Susan Budig Design & Layout: Staff Photographers: Richard Ooga, Bethel Gessesse, Jasmine Webber Distribution: Bluebird
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spend — boosting local economies. Crucially, paid family and medical leave also strengthens public health. When caregivers can take time off work without paying devastating financial consequences, our sick family members can more easily remain in their homes while they’re both contagious and convalescing. In a decade that will likely forever be associated with a global pandemic, the physical health of our communities has never been more important. Family Values @ Work and our state Network partners have been building this movement for more than 20 years and winning paid family and medical leave and paid sick and safe days state-by-state while building the political pressure necessary to win a federal bill. This hearing is a significant milestone in our work, and motivation to continue organizing, advocating, and winning policies that support families. It is because of the dedication and leadership of our Network that we’re here today. Paid family and medical leave makes sense for families, businesses, and communities. It’s a win-win solution for everyone. To secure a brighter, more equitable future for working families, Congress should act now. The Senate Finance Committee’s next step is to pass the FAMILY Act out of committee immediately. The House should follow the lead of their colleagues and they don’t have to wait. The FAMILY Act has already been introduced in both chambers and meets Family Values @ Work’s definition of equitable policy. The FAMILY Act would provide workers with up to 12 weeks of paid time off for the birth or adoption of a new child and for personal medical needs, or the care of a seriously ill family member, and now includes safe leave for sexual or domestic violence. Workers will receive wage replacement on a tiered scale, and it ensures that workers will have a job to return to after taking time to care. No family should be forced to choose between a paycheck and their loved ones — especially not when practical policy decisions are ready to be enacted to help them. Josephine Kalipeni (@malawian81) is an economic justice advocate and executive director of Family Values @ Work, a movement network of grassroots organizers and coalitions in more than two dozen states working to win paid family and medical leave, earned sick and safe days, and affordable, high-quality childcare at the state and national levels. She wrote this for the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade group for America’s Black-owned newspapers.
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November 20-26, 2023 Issue 601
Liberian President George Weah loses reelection bid and has conceded By Mark M. Mengonfia Associated Press MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Liberian President George Weah conceded defeat late Friday after provisional results from this week’s runoff vote showed challenger Joseph Boakai beating him by just over a percentage point. Elections officials said that with 99.58% of ballots counted from Tuesday’s election, Boakai was in the lead, with 50.89% to Weah’s 49.11%. The results were a dramatic reversal from the election six years ago when Weah easily beat Boakai in the second round. “The Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice,” Weah said in an address to the nation, adding that Boakai “is in a lead that we cannot surpass.” “I urge you to follow my example and accept the result of the elections,” he said, adding that “our time will come again” in 2029. The concession speech given even before official results were announced in Liberia comes at a time when there have been growing concerns about the decline of democracy in West Africa.
tween 1989 and 2003 that killed some 250,000 people. But Weah has been accused of not living up to key campaign promises that he would fight corruption and ensure justice for victims of conflict. Tuesday’s second round lived up to expectations of an extremely tight contest following the first round last month in which Weah got 43.83% of the votes and Boakai 43.44% to move on to the runoff. Boakai later managed to win endorsements from the candidates who finished third, fourth and fifth. Boakai, 78, served as vice president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female leader. He appeared to have an upper hand in the vote because of the many Liberians aggrieved over the unfulfilled promises of Weah to fix the country’s ailing economy and stamp out corruption, said Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused Signal Risk consulting. The outcome of the second round so far shows “public disaffection with his (Weah’s) administration with Boakai considered a viable alternative for a lot of Liberians,” Cummings said. Weah is the only African to have won
Opposition candidate Joseph Boakai arrives to vote in the second round of presidential elections in Monrovia, Liberia, Tuesday,Nov. 14, 2023. Boakai beat Presidnet Weah by one percentage point according to provisionl results and Weah conceded defeat late Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Photo: Rami Malek/AP
The region has seen a spate of military coups over the last several years, including one earlier this year carried out in Gabon in the aftermath of a presidential election. The 57-year-old former international soccer star won the 2017 election after his promise to fight poverty and generate infrastructure development. It was the first democratic transfer of power in the West African nation since the end of the country’s back-to-back civil wars be-
international soccer’s Ballon d’Or. He played as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City during an 18-year club career. His 23-year-old son, Tim, now plays for Serie A club Juventus and the U.S. national team. ___ Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.
George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly’s General Debate on Sept. 25, 2019. Weah conceded defeat late Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, after provisional results from last week’s runoff vote showed challenger Joseph Boakai beating him by just over a percentage point. Photo: Cia Pak/UN
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November 20-26, 2023 Issue 601
Mayor confident city will enact wage ordinance acceptable to rideshare companies, drivers and passengers African immigrants form bulk of Uber/Lyft drivers in Twin Cities By Jerusa Nyakundi Mshale The city of Minneapolis is committed to finding a lasting solution that both rideshare companies and their drivers can agree on, according to Mayor Jacob Frey. The mayor spoke during a press conference he held at his office on Wednesday to brief local ethnic media on an issue that is important to the communities they cover. “We’ve been working hard to find a solution that raises the wage for drivers in our city,” Frey said. Fair pay for rideshare drivers in Minneapolis has been a very contentious issue, with the mayor and city council members unable to agree on how best to make sure drivers earn a living wage while keeping companies like Uber and Lyft operating in the city. In August, Frey vetoed an ordinance the City Council passed requiring Uber, Lyft, and other ride hailing companies to pay their drivers more. On Wednesday, Frey acknowledged the need for a balanced approach and expressed readiness to consider a revised ordinance this year to address the issue of wage increase for drivers.
The commitment came after extensive consultations with drivers, advocates, rideshare companies, individuals with disabilities, and residents relying on the service, he said. “We need to get an increase in pay, and at the same time, ensure this valuable service in our city continues to exist,” Frey said. \ There are three competing driver compensation models for rides that take place in Minneapolis. Model A, which was the original proposal Frey vetoed, would compel ride hailing companies to pay drivers a minimum of $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute. The second proposal, known as Model B, which the mayor supports, calls for $1.17 per mile and $0.34 per minute. The final proposal, Model C, would require rideshare companies to pay drivers a flat rate of $24 per hour, applicable only during the time the driver on the way to pick up a rider or during the time transporting a rider. A day before Frey’s press conference, council members Jason Chavez (Ward 9), Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), and Jamal Osman (Ward 6) issued a joint statement declaring their intent to conduct a thorough analysis of minimum wage poli-
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey during a press conference with ethnic media at city hall to discuss the ongoing debate on the city’s rideshare wage ordinance on Nov. 15, 2023. Photo: Jerusa Nyakundi/Mshale
cies, aligning with an ethical approach to policymaking. This initiative originated from their collaborative effort in formulating the Fair Drives, Safe Rides policy, which aimed to establish minimum wage standards and protect the rights of rideshare drivers. The leaders said they had introduced a legislative motion for a comparative analysis of the three minimum compensation models and will present their findings to Council by Jan. 19th, 2024. “We are hopeful that such a policy could pass with full support of the Council and
Mayor early next year once there is full clarity on how the models compare to each other” their statement read. Eid Ali, the president of the Uber/Lyft Drivers Association said that drivers the group represents did not have a stand on any of three proposals and would wait to see how the comparative analysis goes. “We obviously want what is best for our drivers, so they have a living wage,” Ali said.
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November 20-26, 2023 Issue 601
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Rwandan ambassador visits Minnesota to promote country as investment destination By Tom Gitaa Mshale Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States was in Minnesota last week to promote her country as an ideal investment destination. Brought to Minnesota to talk with the business and civic community through the efforts of Minnesota Africans United (MAU), a coalition of African immigrant communities in the state, the ambassador had the opportunity to talk trade and investment on many different levels. According to the U.S. Trade Office, trading of goods between the U.S and Rwanda totaled $122 million in 2022 with the U.S. enjoying a trade surplus of $8 million. U.S. exports to the East African nation last year came to $65 million compared to Rwanda’s exports to the U.S. that totaled $57 million. No services trade data between the two countries is currently available, according to the U.S. Trade Office. The trade surplus in favor of the U.S. is a recent change as Rwanda has enjoyed a surplus for the preceding years. “Rwanda is linked to the East African community and other countries in Africa,” said Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana. “When you come to do
business (in Rwanda) you will not just be doing business with us but the entire African continent.” What Mukantabana would like to see is partnerships between her country and Minnesota business in areas of light manufacturing and investments that allow Rwanda to build capacity as well as manufacturing that foster value additions in sectors such as coffee which remains the country’s biggest export. “One of the areas we are looking for partnerships and where we think Minnesota can play a role is the building of an African (Health) Center so that our people in the region do not need to go to India or other countries to get treatment,” said Mukantabana. German pharmaceutical giant BioNTech setup a vaccine facility in Rwanda’s capital Kigali in March capable of producing up to 100 million mRNA vaccines per year once it is scaled up. The ambassador said her country’s goal is to ensure the pharmaceutical industry and the health sector in general is expanded. The ambassador also said that lately her country has invested heavily in infrastructure that positions it as a destination for conventions and sports tourism, stressing that many international notables are already taking advantage of
Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana of Rwanda speaks at a Bloomington, Minnesota hotel on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 during a business roundtable organized by Minnesota Africans United (MAU) to discuss business and investment opportunities in the East African nation. Looking on is Mr. Basil Ajuo, President & CEO of MAU. Photo: Triumph Graphics for Mshale
the opportunities presented. “Trevor Noah was talking the other day of maybe Rwanda hosting the next Grammys since we have built the venues that can host such an event,” Mukantabana said. “We have had a number of international festivals already in Rwanda so if you are in the creative industry we welcome you, as this is something that attracts tourism and also our young people are restless and this is something they want.” Mukantabana suggested that investors and companies in Minnesota get in touch with the embassy for any guid-
ance they might need in setting up business in her country, or how to get started in their investment journey. During a panel discussion following the ambassador’s presentation, Twin Cities entrepreneur and 2023 National Small Business Person of the Year, Mr. Abdirahman Kahin, pointed out the ease of doing business in Rwanda. “You can set up your business there in six hours, all online, I am already an investor there and what helps them is there is no corruption, I just love it,” said Kahin.
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Mayor-elect From Pg. 1
system, graduating from the public high school in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Metropolitan State University and is presently pursuing her master’s in educational leadership at St. Thomas University. She works as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion specialist at a primary school in St. Louis Park. While Deqa Dhalac, the mayor of South Portland, Maine, is the first Somali American to serve as mayor, she was first elected to the city council in 2018 before a seven-member board chose her to serve as the city’s mayor in 2021. Lynette Dumalag, who represents Ward 2 in St. Louis Park city council said she looked forward to seeing Mohamed bring her lived experience to her job as a first-generation, younger person who’s a renter, “we don’t hear very often in council chambers.” “I’m excited to see all the things we’ll get to do as council with Nadia running the meeting advancing some of the values that we have as a city,” Dumalag said. Mayor-elect Mohamed will take the oath of office on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2023 in a ceremony preceding the first council meeting that she will chair as mayor. Members of the the St. Louis Park City Council will also be sworn in on the same day.
Mayor-elect Nadia Mohamed hugs outgoing Mayor Jake Spano on Election night, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Mayor Spano did not seek reelection and had thrown his support behind her. Mohamed becomes the first Somali to ever be elected as mayor in a U.S. city. Mshale Staff Photo by Jasmine Webber
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November 20-26, 2023 Issue 601
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Religion
In ‘Three Chaplains,’ Muslim military chaplains find resilience in faith By Kathryn Post Religion News Service “U.S. military hired terror-tied chaplains,” the title of the TV segment blared in all caps. An image of chaplain Rafael Lantigua in military fatigues flashed across the screen. “Who needs to infiltrate the military now?” “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy asked. “Have the military hire you.” “No mention of my military history, no mention of my service, no mention of my background,” Lantigua said about the 2014 national news broadcast in the new documentary, “Three Chaplains.” “Just an accusation, my face and my name.” When Lantigua joined the military in 1994, he knew the choice could come with risk. As a biracial Muslim man, he has often been perceived as the “other,” and even in his faith community his career choices were subject to scrutiny. But nearly two decades later, he’s a major in the Air Force who has impacted scores of service members because of, not despite, his faith. Filmed during former President Trump’s so-called Muslim Ban, the COVID pan-
mosques — the film’s message is one of resounding hope. Amid global and personal crises, faith, the film suggests, can be an indomitable source of resilience, unity and optimism. Given the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, that message, the filmmakers told RNS, couldn’t be more timely. “Although it’s not explicit in the film, this is an interfaith collaboration,” director David Washburn, who comes from a Jewish background, said about working with his co-producer, Razi Jafri, who is Muslim. “We come from very different backgrounds, different faith traditions, different levels of engagement with our faith. But I think what we’re trying to do is show and model for others that you can come from these different backgrounds, and especially during intense times, it’s imperative that we double down and try to see each other’s perspectives, and move forward.” Lantigua told RNS he believes the documentary can encourage viewers to rise above anger and bigotry. “I think this film, in light or in the face of this conflict, should remind individuals of our humanity,” he told RNS in a call from where he is currently stationed in Anchorage, Alaska.
Saleha Jabeen at Fort Sheridan Army Reserve Base in Illinois.
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, in Texas, where Lantigua was serving as chaplain. Washburn was surprised to capture the conversion of a young, white trainee who had decided to become a Muslim. Surrounded by his peers, the cadet repeated after Lantigua, reciting the Shahada. “It’s one of those moments when you’re filming and you know this is going to be in the film,” Washburn told RNS, “because it is the very essence of religious freedom that I think all Americans cherish and believe in, but here it’s happening inside the military.” Washburn expected the scene to create dissonance for some viewers, but meeting misconceptions with new stories, he said, is what expands people’s imaginations.
Saleha Jabeen takes the oath to enter the Air Force chaplain corps, at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Photo: David Washburn via RNS
demic and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, “Three Chaplains,” a new documentary from Terrace Films and Independent Television Services, gives a rare look behind the scenes of the U.S. military. Though dotted with moments of pain — the anguish of the Black Lives Matter protests, the horror in the wake of the shootings at two New Zealand
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Washburn originally developed the idea for the film in 2015 as he was creating a short film series on Muslim veterans. After being introduced to Muslim military chaplains, he was struck by the rich intersections they inhabited. The notion of Muslims, who have long been demonized in American media and politics, being in positions of spiritual leadership in the often-glorified U.S. military was provocative. Washburn’s project was ambitious. To be faithful to his subjects, he wanted to create a documentary spanning several years and straddling several states, from Boston to Texas to Alaska. His vision persuaded funders at the Doris Duke Foundation to join the project. In 2016, Washburn began filming at
By tracking the chaplains long term, Washburn’s film gives viewers a taste of the distances the service members traversed and of how their careers evolved over time. In less than an hour, the film charts Lantigua’s rise to major, chaplain Khallid Shabazz’s ascent to colonel and chaplain Saleha Jabeen’s journey from chaplain candidate to the Department of Defense’s first female Muslim chaplain. For Jabeen, watching her story unfold on film was humbling. “When you are in the day-to-day grind, you tend to forget,” said Jabeen. “But when you have a zoomed-out point of view, you go, wait. I am actually taking care of people, changing history, and I’m a part of this? I took a moment to be like, thank you God because I know I don’t deserve this.” RELATED: Muslim chaplains forge a new way of thinking about Islam in secular places In addition to highlighting the chaplains’ achievements, the filmmakers also wanted to be transparent about the discord often inherent to being a Muslim chaplain. Given America’s recent military history — the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reports of torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib — there are plenty of Muslims who question why one of their own would opt for a career in the U.S.
Photo: David Washburn via RNS
military. In one pivotal scene, Jabeen speaks with Shareda Hosein, a Muslim chaplain who served in the military for 35 years and was barred from becoming the first female Muslim military chaplain in the early aughts. Hosein tells Jabeen that after seeing many horrible actions taken by military personnel, she wouldn’t join the military today. “That scene to me articulates the tensions within the Muslim American community about not just Muslims in the military, but Muslims in the government,” Jafri, one of the producers on the film, told RNS. “There’s a lot of people in the Muslim American community who disagree with the involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shareda is sharing that perspective, which I think is a very authentic and real perspective for many, if not most, American Muslims.” When asked about the conversation, Jabeen told RNS it wasn’t the first time she’d heard such concerns. But she views her faith as fully compatible with a career in the U.S. military. “I knew I had to join the military,” said Jabeen. “If that meant taking on this journey where people don’t know anything about my religion, my spirituality, then I’ll teach them. Because I know everybody is hurting, and I have something that can help people have hope.” Jabeen told RNS she knew she would face an “uphill battle” no matter what career she pursued. “I’ll choose this one, because that way at least I’ll enjoy wearing my fatigues and having a cool military life,” she laughed. The documentary premiered on Monday, Nov. 6, as part of the Independent Lens documentary series on PBS. After that, it will be available to stream for free on the PBS YouTube channel and PBS App.
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Art & Entertainment
South Africa submits biopic of Joseph Shabalala for Oscar consideration By Susan Budig Mshale “To respect music, you respect your life,” said Joseph Shabalala, founder and leader of South Africa’s acclaimed band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. His message is repeated in a biopic, Music is My Life, a film that has been submitted for consideration to compete in the International Feature Film category for the 96th annual Academy Awards. In the 34 years since South Africa has been submitting films for this category, formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film, only twice has a film been nominated and once has the nomination taken the Oscar. Seventeen years after that one-time win, Tsotsi directed by Gavin Hood, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) hopes this year’s submission will be as successful. Music is My Life follows the senior Shabalala from his early years in rural South Africa to the apex of Shabalala’s international success to his passing in 2020, at the age of 79. Through clips, guest cameos of colleagues and celebrities, Shabalala’s
In this Sunday Jan. 20, 2008 file photo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder and leader Joseph Shabalala gestures to the audience during the group’s performance at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. South Africa has submitted a biopic on his life for an Oscar consideration at the 96th annual Academy Awards. Photo: Joseph Kaczmarek/AP File
story is told. Especially notable is the focus on Isicathamiya music, which defines Ladysmith Black Mambazo as well as South Africa. The film was produced by veteran film
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producer, Carolyn Carew and directed by Mpumi “Supa” Mbele. The documentary was shot over a period of five years. The
official
nominations
for
the
96th Annual Academy Awards will be announced on 23 January 2024.
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A Better Community
The solution to housing discrimination starts with you. If you have been trying to buy or rent a house or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, contact HUD or your local fair housing center. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status or disability.
Fair Housing Is Your Right. Use It. Visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing or call the HUD Hotline 1-800-669-9777 (English/Español) 1-800-927-9275 (TTY)
SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing.