MWCLT Statement on Racial Justice

Black lives matter.

MWCLT supports the recent protests in Richmond and across the country in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Over 400 years of violence and systemic racism against Black people has created wealth and health disparities for Black communities. It has inflicted trauma on generations of Black families, and left them vulnerable to the effects of health crises like COVID-19, poverty, violence, and climate change. It has led to police brutality, mass incarceration, and the school to prison pipeline for Black and brown people, among numerous other injustices. 

Black lives matter.

In the Richmond region, we recognize the deliberate destruction of Black communities, such as Jackson Ward with the creation of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike; the slower decimation of neighborhoods in the East End through redlining and disinvestment; and ongoing displacement of the Black community by unchecked gentrification. As an affordable housing organization, we acknowledge the long history of racist land use and housing practices in this country, and commit to community-driven work that addresses economic and housing justice for Black people in the Richmond region.

Black lives matter.

We believe in affordable and safe neighborhoods for all, especially our Black neighbors. We draw on the roots of the Community Land Trust model, founded by the Civil Rights movement, as a way to create access to housing through community controlled land. The first CLT, New Communities Inc., was started by Black Civil Rights activists in rural Georgia in order to gain resources and land control for Black farmers. This is a history we must honor and carry forward. 

Black lives matter.

They matter today, tomorrow, and yesterday. MWCLT commits to working for racial equity and housing justice in our communities. We are committed to centering our policies, programs, internal, and external operations around furthering racial equity. This means striving to become an organization that reflects the communities we serve in staff and board, and one that is guided by community voice and decision-making. At the heart of this work is our new strategic plan, which will guide our work for the next 2-3 years. The plan focuses specifically on strategies to address the racial homeownership gap. While MWCLT cannot address all of the issues facing Richmond’s Black communities, we strive to be a tool for equity and justice.

Black lives matter.