"Freedom means access to quality education and good housing. Freedom means full participation in the political system. Freedom means fairness in criminal justice.”

--Algernon Austin, "Remembering Martin Luther King and the March for Jobs and Freedom," The Hill, August 25, 2011

 
 


“We know that the majority of the people who received these mortgages were doing home refinancing. They were trying to do with their home equity what most Americans do, which is to send their kids to college or start a small business or maybe cover a medical emergency."

--Nikitra Bailey, Rule of the Law radio interview, INN World Report, September 23, 2011

 

 

 

“People ought to be able to get up in the morning, go to a job that they either enjoy or have some commitment too, be able to pay their rent or mortgage, feed their kids, and have a decent life.”

--Flozell Daniels Jr., interview on KGNU, "It’s the Economy," September 22, 2011.

 

 

“In Latino communities, related to the housing crisis, about 17 percent — more than a million people — have lost or will lose their homes to foreclosure as of 2006. This is compared to 7 percent of white homeowners.”

--Graciela Aponte, "Hold Up with New Federal Financial Bureau May Harm Communities," The Huffington Post, September 22, 2011

 

“Without trusted resources, vulnerable homeowners are more likely to be misled by scammers peddling loan modification services for fees as high as $10,000 by exploiting cultural connections and language commonalities within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community or other ethnic communities, only to take the money and do nothing.”

--Jane Duong, "Washington Budget Battles Shouldn’t Cost Hardworking Families’ Homes," op-ed in The Bellingham Herald, November 09, 2011

“Banks need to pay their share for an economic recovery, it’s not right that ordinary middle class Americans are footing the bill for the sins of Wall Street, they need to do their part to get out of this mess.”

--Jordan Estevao, "Joan, Andrea And Steve," The Surreal News, October 14, 2011

 

 

“Now that the nation is getting ready to repair its roads, highways, bridges and airports, it’s time to strengthen federal transportation legislation to increase the workforce hours and funds allocated for minorities, women and the disadvantaged and to expand on-the-job training, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.”

--Ana Garcia-Ashley, Kansas City Star, October 13, 2011

 

"For the first time, we now have a federal agency whose primary mission is to make sure the financial services marketplace operates transparently and fairly to provide access to all consumers including people of color.” 

--Debbie Goldberg, "New Consumer Bureau Could Especially Protect Ethnic Communities," Nation of Change, September 19, 2011

 

 

“…We need to … make sure that our housing finance system going forward is a fair one, that it’s not discriminatory, that loans are made that are suitable [for] borrowers."

--Sarah Ludwig, Interview on KVOT 1340, "Breakfast with Nancy," September 10, 2011

 

 

 

“[President] Obama must address the crisis of Black unemployment head-on and advocate for policies and investments that will not only curb unemployment, but also create long-term economic stability for workers and communities.”

--C. Nicole Mason, "For Blacks, Too Little Work to Go Around This Labor Day," The Huffington Post, September 4, 2011

 
 


“Lawmakers need to introduce federal payday lending reforms that bring this industry into compliance with its competitors. Chief among them must be reforms that put a cap on interest and lengthen repayment periods."

--Pahaedra Robinson, "Payday lenders prey on the poor costing Americans billions. Will Washington act?" Christian Science Monitor, September 6, 2011.

 
 

 

“Everyone should have ladders of opportunities--whether they want to take it, that’s their prerogative--but there should be ladders.”

 

--Christy Rogers, "The Solution Zone' September 15, 2011

 

 

“…When you look at the communities that have the highest unemployment rate in America…its African Americans and [the] Latino population and they’re [at] 22 percent--much higher than the average of 9 percent--and so when you think about investing in a future middle class in America, its’ really our need to invest in those young people to be productive workers..."

-- Kalima Rose, "The Real Deal with George Galloway," PressTV, September 30, 2011

 

 

“We do get to work with individual homeowners and really see this kind of impact that the housing counselors really have on their lives. So we have a lot of happy endings that we get to see, in terms of keeping people in their homes."

--Kate Scott, "The Jim Engster Show," WRKF, September 26, 2011

 

 

“Homeownership really was the ticket to the middle class. There’s a reason why it’s a central pillar of the American Dream. It was an incredible force for many people to build wealth and to become part of the middle class. People use their home equity to send their children to school, they use their home equity to fund their retirement, they used their home equity to do those things to plan for [unexpected] occurrences that helped people maintain stability in their lives and to have that middle class lifestyle."

--Jesse Van Tol, interview on KCBX's Guy Rathburn "An Evening with…” September 23, 2011

“We need to collaborate, we need to work together, we need to make sure that when we’re talking about policies we’re not just talking about it on our own, we’re actually engaging community members, making sure that folks have their voices heard.”

--Preeti Vissa, interview on Nick Burn’s "Radio Active," KRCL, September 20, 2011