The Equal Rights Center

Text reads: Protecting Civil Rights During Challenging Times 2026 Symposium Save The Date. 21 February 2026, Saturday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Bowie State University. Student Center, 14000 Jericho Park Rd, Bowie, MD 20715. Together we will focus on addressing civil rights challenges in today's uncertain environment and the collaborative efforts needed to safeguard equity and justice for all Marylanders! Registration required. Scan QR Code or go to bit.ly/48P34rj. Questions or requests for accommodations? 410-767-8600. mccr.outreach@maryland.gov

Join the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and ERC staff for a Civil Rights Symposium on Feb. 21, 9 AM at Bowie State University. Learn how local groups are addressing civil rights challenges in today's uncertain environment and collaborating to make an impact.
www.eventbrite.com/e/protecting...

Tell D.C. Council About Your Experiences with City Agencies and Services – Equal Rights Center Share your feedback on how D.C. government agencies can improve at the D.C. Council’s Performance Oversight Hearings.

Many D.C. agencies play a role in shaping residents’ housing opportunities. Your feedback helps ensure everyone can access safe, stable, affordable housing in their neighborhood of choice! Check out our guide to testifying! equalrightscenter.org/performance-...

Tell D.C. Council About Your Experiences with City Agencies and Services – Equal Rights Center Share your feedback on how D.C. government agencies can improve at the D.C. Council’s Performance Oversight Hearings.

Tell D.C. Council about your experiences with city agencies and services! Performance Oversight Hearings are important opportunities for District residents and organizations to provide feedback on how well city agencies are meeting the community’s needs. equalrightscenter.org/performance-...

MD lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit housing providers from considering an applicant’s income or credit score if the applicant receives an income-based housing subsidy (like a housing voucher).
Read ERC's full comments in support of HB 315: equalrightscenter.org/wp-content/u...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Fair Housing Today: Reasonable Accommodations & Modifications for Housing Providers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining ... Join the Equal Rights Center and the Arlington County Office of Human Rights for a virtual fair housing training focused on best practices for housing providers in Arlington, Virginia when serving pro...

Join the ERC and @arlingtonva.us for a virtual fair housing training on Feb. 19 at 11 AM.

The webinar is focused on best practices for housing providers in Arlington when serving prospective and current residents with disabilities.

Sign up: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

MD lawmakers are considering a bill that would require housing providers to disclose screening criteria to applicants & notify denied applicants of reasons for the denial, improving transparency in the screening process. Read ERC's comments in support of HB 313: equalrightscenter.org/wp-content/u...

Text reads: Protecting Civil Rights During Challenging Times 2026 Symposium Save The Date. 21 February 2026, Saturday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Bowie State University. Student Center, 14000 Jericho Park Rd, Bowie, MD 20715. Together we will focus on addressing civil rights challenges in today's uncertain environment and the collaborative efforts needed to safeguard equity and justice for all Marylanders! Registration required. Scan QR Code or go to bit.ly/48P34rj. Questions or requests for accommodations? 410-767-8600. mccr.outreach@maryland.gov

Join the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and ERC staff for a Civil Rights Symposium on Feb. 21, 9 AM at Bowie State University. Learn how local groups are addressing civil rights challenges in today's uncertain environment and collaborating to make an impact.
www.eventbrite.com/e/protecting...

If the proposed HUD rule is made final, the department would remove its discriminatory effects regulation making it profoundly more difficult for housing providers, financial services companies, and consumers to understand and enforce their rights under the law.

HUD is proposing rule changes that will make it more difficult to enforce the Fair Housing Act, putting immigrants, veterans, people with disabilities, survivors of domestic abuse, and more at risk. Click to take action + protect your rights!
nationalfairhousingalliance.salsalabs.org/HUDDisparate...

Chart reads: Number of bedrooms in unit, likely number of people that should be allowed to live in the unit. 1, 3. 2, 5. 3, 7. 4, 9. 5, 11.

A good rule of thumb is that generally two people should be allowed to reside in each bedroom. Restricting a bedroom to only one person may be illegal familial status discrimination. To report potential discrimination to the ERC, call 202-234-3062 or email info@equalrightscenter.org.

Arbitrary Limits on Number of People Who Can Live in a Home May Discriminate One form of familial status discrimination involves restricting the number of individuals that can live in a home.

If you have children and are renting a home in DC, be on the lookout for this sneaky form of discrimination. An ERC investigation found that some landlords may be restricting the number of people who can live in a home below the city’s set occupancy standard. equalrightscenter.org/occupancy-fa...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Fair Housing Today: Reasonable Accommodations & Modifications for Housing Providers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining ... Join the Equal Rights Center and the Arlington County Office of Human Rights for a virtual fair housing training focused on best practices for housing providers in Arlington, Virginia when serving pro...

Join the ERC and @arlingtonva.us for a virtual fair housing training on Feb. 19 at 11 AM.

The webinar is focused on best practices for housing providers in Arlington when serving prospective and current residents with disabilities.

Sign up: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

HUD is considering changes that would weaken enforcement of the #FairHousingAct of 1968—putting fair and affordable housing at risk. Don’t stay silent. Speak up now: https://bit.ly/3NR0Rop

Snowstorms are hell for wheelchair users—but they don't have to be "You can't physically move. You can't do anything."

It's not just an inconvenience when curb cuts and sidewalks are poorly shoveled. “Living in a city that you know has the resources, and still dealing with these issues, shows just how poorly cities are ready to deal with accessibility issues." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Proposed rule changes from HUD could undermine the Fair Housing Act of 1968 & make it harder to hold discrimination accountable. Housing should be fair & accessible for everyone. Take action today: https://bit.ly/3NR0Rop

If you suspect you’ve faced discrimination related to your service or assistance animal, contact the ERC by calling 202-234-3062 or emailing info@equalrightscenter.org.

For example, a blind person who uses a guide dog should not be required to verify their disability or their need for the dog, since both are obvious. In non-obvious cases, landlords can require third party verification, but should not require it be provided by a doctor.

If a landlord rejects a tenant because they have an assistance animal or requires excessive verification paperwork, that may be illegal. If a person's disability and need for a reasonable accommodation (like a service animal) are obvious, landlords should not require additional documentation.

Do you have a service or assistance animal and live in DC? Even in co-living spaces, people with disabilities have a right to live with their service or assistance animal. An ERC investigation found that a management company may be discriminating against renters with service and assistance animals.

Tell Congress to maintain essential funding for fair housing programs! The FY26 budget proposes eliminating the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which funds nonprofits (like ERC!) that ensure people can access housing free of discrimination.
nationalfairhousingalliance.salsalabs.org/ActNowFY26fa...

Power In Action Community Committee - Testimony Prep Join us for our annual Testimony prep sessions to build your skills in testifying/telling your story for maximum impact. Performance Oversight Hearings on the horizon and we want to make sure our comm...

Upcoming Performance Oversight Hearings are great opportunities to share feedback to DC Council about how city agencies and public programs are working. But first, hone your skills at @fairbudgetdc.bsky.social's testimony prep webinar, Monday 1/26 at 5 PM.
actionnetwork.org/events/power...

Today, the Maryland State Senate is holding a hearing to discuss a bill that would allow fair housing testers to record audio of tests they conduct, which could be used as evidence to help enforce anti-discrimination protections. ERC testified in support: equalrightscenter.org/wp-content/u...

Upcoming Performance Oversight Hearings are great opportunities to share feedback to DC Council about how city agencies and public programs are working. But first, hone your skills at @fairbudgetdc.bsky.social's testimony prep webinar, Tuesday 1/20 from 5:30-7:00 PM.

The ERC is deeply saddened to learn of Mathew McCollough's death. Mat was a tremendous advocate for people with disabilities and will be remembered for making DC and the nation more accessible. Our thoughts and condolences are with his friends and family. www.access-board.gov/news/2026/01...

HUD Is Refusing to Enforce Anti-Discrimination Law—and Won’t Let Anyone Else Do It, Either The initial chaos of layoffs has been followed by a concerted effort by the Trump administration to halt the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act.

From silencing and laying off HUD employees to terminating grants for housing nonprofits and legal advocacy groups, the Trump administration is "pulling every lever to make it impossible to enforce your rights under the Fair Housing Act.”

www.thenation.com/article/poli...

These accomplishments came amid intense attacks against this country's civil rights laws and institutions like the ERC that uphold them, but we've persevered and sustained our impact with your support. We know 2026 will bring more challenges, but we’re ready to face them with you by our side.

In 2025, the ERC conducted 777 civil rights tests to identify potential discrimination and opened 146 intakes with local residents alleging unfair treatment in housing. We sued housing providers and tech companies, and reached settlements requiring meaningful changes.

Happy New Year! Thanks to you and all of our dedicated members, we hit our fundraising goal of $30,000 to combat discrimination in the Greater Washington, D.C. area and beyond. These funds will help us fight against federal civil rights rollbacks and protect equal opportunity for all.

DOJ rolls back anti-discrimination rules Trump officials say the requirement to consider racial impacts was itself a form of discrimination.

The DOJ on Tuesday moved to end disparate impact standards that prohibit local governments and federally funded organizations from maintaining policies that disproportionately harm certain groups, like people of color, making it harder to challenge potential bias.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

Join NFHA & @warren.senate.gov in sounding the alarm on the Trump Admin's plan to gut the law that gave women access to credit without the need of a male co-signer. This Admin is trying to set us back generations. We only have until 12/15 to act. Make your voice heard: bit.ly/4pwy1aD.

YouTube video by National Fair Housing Alliance NFHA Nikitra Bailey Takes Action to Stop the CFPB's Proposed Rule Eliminating Fair Access to Women

Watch the video (youtube.com/shorts/orLDS...). Share it with a friend. And then click the link in bio (or click the link) to leave a comment letting this administration know this is NOT ok: bit.ly/4pwy1aD

It will only take 45 seconds.

We need your help before 12/15!