{"id":11288,"date":"2025-07-23T13:25:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalfairhousing.org\/?p=11288"},"modified":"2025-07-23T13:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:25:54","slug":"nfha-mourns-the-loss-and-celebrates-the-legacy-of-fair-housing-champion-lee-porter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalfairhousing.org\/nfha-mourns-the-loss-and-celebrates-the-legacy-of-fair-housing-champion-lee-porter\/","title":{"rendered":"NFHA Mourns the Loss and Celebrates the Legacy of Fair Housing Champion Lee Porter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph has-text-align-center\"><strong>NFHA Mourns the Loss and Celebrates the Legacy of Fair Housing Champion Lee Porter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Washington, D.C. \u2014 The National Fair Housing Alliance\u00ae (NFHA \u2122) mourns the passing and celebrates the extraordinary life and legacy of Lee Porter, a pioneering civil rights leader, founding Board Member of NFHA, and long-time Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey. Mrs. Porter passed away on July 20, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">\u201cLee Porter is affectionately known as the \u201cMother of Fair Housing\u201d because of how she transformed her personal experience with housing discrimination into a lifetime of national leadership and advocacy,\u201d stated Vince Curry, Chair of the NFHA Board of Directors. \u201cFrom organizing \u201cstraw-person\u201d home purchases to breaking down racial barriers in the years before the federal Fair Housing Act, to leading federal policy reform efforts, Mrs. Porter\u2019s impact on the fair housing landscape in America is immeasurable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">\u201cLee Porter was a trailblazer whose moral clarity, relentless spirit, and fierce advocacy changed the housing landscape for generations,\u201d said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of NFHA. \u201cShe served as a mentor for me and so many others in the civil rights field. And she didn\u2019t just fight for fair housing\u2014she helped build the foundation on which our entire movement stands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Mrs. Porter served on NFHA\u2019s Board of Directors from its inception in 1988 until 2003, and she played a key role in establishing the Fair Housing Initiatives Program\u2014the only permanently funded federal program that directly supports nonprofit fair housing organizations. Her efforts enabled fair housing groups across the country to expand their work combating housing discrimination, segregation, and systemic racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Under her decades of leadership, the Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey grew from an all-volunteer organization to one of the most respected civil rights agencies in the nation, serving thousands of families annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Mrs. Porter\u2019s work profoundly impacted countless lives, including that of U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who has described her as one of the \u201ctitans\u201d in his life for helping his family overcome housing discrimination and purchase a home in New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">In 2024, NFHA proudly presented Mrs. Porter with the Edward W. Brooke and Walter F. Mondale Fair Housing Award, the organization\u2019s highest honor, in recognition of her lifetime achievements in the fight for justice and equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">As we grieve her passing, we also recommit ourselves to carrying forward the legacy Lee Porter leaves behind\u2014a legacy rooted in justice, opportunity, and a deep belief that every person deserves access to a home, free from discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">The National Fair Housing Alliance extends its deepest condolences to the Porter family and the entire Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey. We honor her life by continuing the work she began and sustaining the movement she helped build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph has-text-align-center\"><strong>###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\"><em>The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country\u2019s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for 200 fair housing and justice-centered organizations throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NFHA Mourns the Loss and Celebrates the Legacy of Fair Housing Champion Lee Porter Washington, D.C. \u2014 The National Fair Housing Alliance\u00ae (NFHA \u2122) mourns the passing and celebrates the extraordinary life and legacy of Lee Porter, a pioneering civil rights leader, founding Board Member of NFHA, and long-time Executive Director of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":433,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - 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