Not since the Civil Rights era have we seen such demand for racial and economic justice. It’s a moment in history that was made for Woodstock Institute.
In the 1970s, the impact of racial segregation and lack of access to opportunity was impossible to ignore. Woodstock’s founders met their moment by helping to build a movement that won the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 and Community Reinvestment Act of 1977.
Today, we again find ourselves waging battles to address the infrastructure of racism. To meet our moment we must have the courage and tenacity to fight for communities with the same tools and tactics as those who see expanding opportunity for all as a zero-sum game that must mean less for themselves.
This year’s report, our first under the leadership of Horacio Mendez, highlights our work from 2019 through the first half of 2021, a time that has been marked by significant achievements, from contract research for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development begun in 2019 to the passage of the Illinois Predatory Loan Prevention Act and Illinois Community Reinvestment Act in March.