The Organizers
Black organizers across the US are moving resources in a big way this holiday season
to raise at least $100,000 to help Black single moms pay rent by 25 December 2023.
By giving directly to the community organizer’s Rent for Moms fundraising page (links below),
you are directly supporting a single Black mom in that locality.
If you’re a Black organizer interested in representing your city or state,
complete this form and a member of the team will get in touch.
New England
Frontline Organizer: DiDi Delgado,
Restore National, Inc.
Rent in Boston consumes about 71% of income in Black neighborhoods, but just 35% in White communities.
The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Series found that the median net worth for a Black household in Boston is just $8 compared to $247,000 for a white household.
Portland, OR.
Frontline Organizer: Tenacious Rose PDX
The median income for a white household in Portland is $65,945 but the average Black family makes just $29,864 a year.
There is no neighborhood in this city where the average Black family can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment.
Oklahoma City, OK.
Frontline Organizer: T. Sheri Dickerson,
Black Lives Matter OKC
Black communities make up 15 percent of Oklahoma City’s population, but they are 26 percent of the unhoused population.
Broome County, NY.
Frontline Organizer: Support Black Business 607
January 2022 data also shows that the homeownership gap between Black and white Americans is currently the widest it’s been in 100 years; and yet many lenders are not tracking the race and ethnicity related to home loans.
In Binghamton, Black homeownership rates are 37.3%, 147th lowest among US metro areas, while White homeownership rates are 70.9%, almost double that of Black families.
Washington, DC.
Frontline Organizers: Nee Nee Taylor & Qiana Johnson, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams.
In Washington DC, the median household income for white residents ($141,650) is more than three times higher than that of Black residents ($45,072).
Black people consistently have the lowest homeownership rates of any race or ethnicity in the region.
Louisville, KY.
Frontline Organizer: Black Lives Matter Louisville
In Louisville, Ky., Black households even further lag the national average for homeownership—in 2021, 40% of Black households owned their homes compared with 70% of white households.
As of 2021, the median home value in Smoketown was $182,900 – a 180% increase over the median value of $64,800 in 2010, according to U.S. Census estimates.
The median household income grew 120% over the same period, from $17,875 to $39,760, as more people with higher salaries moved in.
Cleveland, OH.
Frontline Organizer: Black Lives Matter Cleveland
32% of Clevelanders live at or below the poverty line, which is $26,200 annually for a family of four, and they spend 34% of their income, or $742 per month, on rent (2022).
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Black people represent 48% of the population in a city ranked the second-most impoverished large municipality in the country.
Asbury Park, NJ.
Frontline Organizer: Jennifer Lewinski, Asbury Park Transformative Justice Project
About 26% of roughly 15,200 residents in Asbury Park live below the poverty line, and nearly 80% of Asbury Park residents are renters, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census. The median household income in Asbury Park is $47,841, compared to $99,733 for residents living across Monmouth County.
About 44% of residents are Black, 23% are Hispanic or Latino, and 31% are white.
Memphis, TN
Frontline Organizer: BLM Memphis
Memphis is a majority Black city that has been deemed the eviction capital of the United States.
Data released by the University of California, Berkeley reveals Black women face the highest risk of getting an eviction notice than any other group.
The study revealed eviction notices are filed at twice the rate of white women nationally.
Fort Lee, NJ.
Frontline Organizer: Simone Gordon, The Black Fairy Godmother
New Jersey is one of the least affordable states in the nation for renters. It has the largest wealth gap between Black and white households in the whole of the US.
A minimum-wage worker would have to work 96 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
Upstate New York
Frontline Organizer: Tershia Ellis
Black households in NY State are three times more likely than white households to face eviction.
Statewide evictions are filed at higher rates in counties with a higher number of Black renters.
Greensboro, NC
Frontline Organizer: Brandi Collins-Calhoun
Since last year, the average cost of rent increased by 20% or $200 on average across the state. Just in the last six months, many areas of the state reported a 10% spike in monthly rent.
The Asheville, Burlington and Greensboro metro areas reported the largest increase in rent with monthly prices increasing by more than 30% in each area since January 2020.
Harrisburg, PA
Frontline Organizer: Dr. Kimeka Campbell, Black NewsBeat
Census data from 2019 showed nearly 72% of white families are homeowners, compared to just 42% of Black families.
Rates of Black homeownership have been steadily declining over the years, even before the 2008 housing market crash.
Richmond, VA
Frontline Organizer: Katherine Valenzuela-Parsons
Richmond has one of the highest eviction rates in the country. Thirty percent of renters get an eviction notice on their door every year, and they are overwhelmingly Black women who are head of the household.
