In Mississippi, Fair Housing for All

From left: Charles Harris, Heed Executive Director; Sam Buchanan, Mississippi Center for Legal Services Executive Director; Anna M. Farias, HUD Fair Housing Assistant Secretary; Jerrie Magruder, HUD Mississippi Director; Denise Cleveland-Leggett, HUD Southeast Regional Administrator; Marilyn Moore-Lemons, HUD Mississippi Fair Housing Director

Each year, Mississippians gather to educate housing professionals and interested citizens about fair housing and the challenges and progress made in the state. This year, at the 30th Annual Fair Housing - Fair Lending Conference held April 25-26, Housing Education and Economic Development (HEED), emphasized "Fair Housing: Opening Doors and Providing Homes For All."

HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Anna María Farías was the keynote speaker at their luncheon celebration, while HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett offered greetings. Assistant Secretary Farías shared her personal story of growing up in public housing in Texas, being raised by a single mother with limited income. She accepted her current position because it allows her to repay HUD for the safe refuge that public housing provided her as a child.

During the conference, HUD Mississippi Fair Housing Director Marilyn Moore-Lemons received an award for her passion and commitment to fair housing. The award was presented by Charles Harris, HEED Executive Director.

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