The Housing Center hosted its 30th Anniversary Celebration & Fair Housing Art Exhibition at The City Club of Cleveland. The event honored Reverend Hilton Smith, Senior Vice President and Director of National Community Affairs for Turner Construction Company, and recently elected President of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP. Smith was among the first in the construction industry to proactively promote opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.
The Fair Housing Art Exhibition featured professional storytellers, Jackki Boyd and Oluremi Oliver of ONE HOUSE, Inc., who performed a dramatic piece for the “Opening Doors through the Art of Storytelling” exhibition supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. A series of photographs taken by activist photographer Steve Cagan showcased members of protected classes in doorways. The photographs tell the story of how passage of the Fair Housing Act 45 years ago has opened doors of access and equality to people regardless of their race, national origin, sex, religion, familial status or disability.
The 30th Anniversary Celebration & Fair Housing Art Exhibition was held as part of April Fair Housing Month in Northeast Ohio.