NYU Furman Center Fall Speaker Series: Leah Goodridge
Please join the NYU Furman Center for a lunchtime presentation:
Applying a Critical Race Theory to Housing Policy
with
Leah Goodridge, Managing Attorney for Housing Policy for Mobilization for Justice
Tuesday, November 16th from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET
Please register using this link.
Decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, New York had a crisis of its own: homelessness. New York has a storied history of housing evictions. Some of the city's most well-known landmarks are sites of racialized displacement. During the 19th century, Seneca Village was home to hundreds of free African- American families who were later forcibly displaced for the development of Central Park. The vestiges of inequity persist in New York City housing. From harassment based on immigration status, sexual harassment in housing, race nuisance laws, and exclusionary tenant screening, housing justice is connected to racial justice and equity. Leah Goodridge, Managing Attorney for Housing Policy at Mobilization for Justice, will explore the history of housing policy in New York City and ways to ensure that equity remains central to housing justice advocacy.
About the Presenter: Leah Goodridge is a litigator and educator with over a decade of experience in community empowerment, housing rights, and racial justice. Currently, Leah is the Managing Attorney for Housing Policy at Mobilization for Justice. There, she leads a team of paralegals and attorneys which provide legal representation to tenants under the Universal Access to Counsel law.
In 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Leah to serve as the tenant representative on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. In 2020, her advocacy efforts led to a historic rent freeze for two-year leases. She is a frequent guest speaker on housing justice at universities including the University of Malta, McGill University Faculty of Law, and Duke University. Her honors and accolades include the 2019 New York County Lawyers Association Public Service Award, 2018 New York Nonprofit Media 40 under 40 Rising Star award, the 2015 Fulbright Specialist award, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Earl Warren Scholarship. She received her J.D. with a specialization in Critical Race Theory from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law and her B.A. from Vassar College. Leah is a native of Brownsville, Brooklyn.
This event is open to members of the NYU community. Please register by clicking this RSVP link.