This is cross-posted from Blue Jersey where I also promoted the event. I’ll be on the panel, so make sure to say hi if you can stop by! 

On Monday, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting is highlighting inequities in the mortgage market in Camden County. Their year-long investigations shows that:

Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act banned racial discrimination in lending, African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans at rates far higher than their white counterparts.

This modern-day redlining persisted in 61 metro areas even when controlling for applicants’ income, loan amount and neighborhood, according to a mountain of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records analyzed by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

And yes, Camden County is one of those metro areas. NJ Spotlight picked up the coverage and highlighted local inequities inequities:

Reveal’s data show that a black loan applicant was 2.6 times more likely to be denied a loan in the Camden metro area in 2016 than a non-Hispanic white applicant, even after controlling for applicants’ income, loan amount, and neighborhood.

The numbers are ugly and reflect deep divides within the county. Monday is a chance to talk about how to address those challenges with experts and local community members:

So, what does this mean for Camden?
Reveal reporter and producer Laura Starecheski will moderate a panel of esteemed local journalists and leaders to help unpack these findings and discuss community resources and potential solutions.

Panel speakers include reporters Colleen O’Dea of NJ Spotlight; reporters Erin Petenko and Disha Raychaudhuri of NJ.Com; the Rev. Eric Dobson, outreach coordinator at Fair Share Housing Center; Soneyet Muhammad, director of community engagement at Clarifi; and other speakers to be added.

Following the panel discussion, Shaneka Boucher of Social Responsibility Through Me, a local nonprofit, will facilitate a solutions-oriented conversation with you and the panelists.

Here are the details, you can sign up at this link:

Event Details:
The event is free and open to everyone. Food and beverages will be provided.

Our reporting partners for this event include WHYY, NJ Spotlight, and NJ.com. Our outreach partner for this event is Creative New Jersey.

We hope you can join us for this vital conversation! Please register for the event on Eventbrite. If you have any questions or want to know more, please email Reveal’s engagement manager, Cristina Kim.

Location:
Camden Public Library
852 Ferry Ave.
Camden, NJ 08104

When: Monday, March 19
Time: 5:30 p.m.: Panel discussion, 6:30 p.m.: Community dialogue