A Statement from the Housing Matters Editorial Team: Our Renewed Commitment to Antiracism

The Housing Matters editorial team believes Black Lives Matter. We stand with people across the country who are rightfully outraged by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Mike Ramos, Nina Pop, and the countless others killed as a result of white supremacy, anti-Black racism, and police brutality. 

In reflecting on our own role in fighting racism, this week, we surveyed the past five years of Housing Matters content, including blog posts and research summaries, and recognize there is a gap in what we feature on our website. We have not featured research on the violence of policing and surveillance in Black and brown communities and the well-documented consequences these practices have on housing and resident stability, as well as on community well-being and safety.

We pledge our continued commitment to grounding our work in racial equity and seek to reexamine evidence and assumptions in order to advance antiracist housing policy and practice. Here's what you can expect in the coming weeks and months:

  • We will review journals and research databases for more work that fills this gap, and we welcome suggestions of work you find most compelling in this area. 
  • We will elevate voices for equity on our platforms, including experts in antiracism, equity-oriented methods, and policing, including voices we haven't elevated from our own Urban Institute network and external voices with lived experience.
  • Our commitment to antiracism extends across all our platforms: from our website, to our newsletter, to our social media.

We will continue this conversation among our team, and we look forward to continuing it with you.