2023 AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
MAJORA CARTER (8/28/23)

Majora Carter is a visionary voice in city planning who views urban renewal through an environmental lens. The South Bronx native draws a direct connection between ecological, economic and social degradation. Hence her motto: “Green the ghetto!” With her inspired ideas and fierce persistence, Carter managed to bring the South Bronx its first open-waterfront park in 60 years, Hunts Point Riverside Park. Then she scored $1.25 million in federal funds for a greenway along the South Bronx waterfront, bringing the neighborhood open space, pedestrian and bike paths, and space for mixed-use economic development.

Carter, who was awarded a 2005 MacArthur “genius” grant, served as executive director of Sustainable South Bronx for 7 years, where she pushed both for eco-friendly practices (such as green and cool roofs) and, equally important, job training and green-related economic development for her vibrant neighborhood on the rise. Since leaving SSBx in 2008, Carter has formed the economic consulting and planning firm the Majora Carter Group, to bring her pioneering approach to communities far outside the South Bronx. Carter is working within the cities of New Orleans, Detroit and the small coastal towns of Northeastern North Carolina. The Majora Carter Group is putting the green economy and green economic tools to use, unlocking the potential of every place — from urban cities and rural communities, to universities, government projects, businesses and corporations — and everywhere else in between.

Please enjoy this audio recording of the opening inspirational keynote presentation.

2023 AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
MARGARET HUANG (8/29/23)

Margaret Huang is the president and chief executive officer of the Southern Poverty Law Center and its lobbying arm, the SPLC Action Fund. An experienced human rights and racial justice advocate, Huang leads the SPLC in its mission to serve as a catalyst for racial justice in the South, dismantling white supremacy, strengthening intersectional movements and advancing the human rights of all. Early in her tenure at the SPLC, she guided the organization during pivotal moments in the nation’s history that included the nationwide racial justice demonstrations of 2020 and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Huang also has testified before Congress about the threat of hate and extremism.

Throughout her career, she has championed social justice and human dignity, advocating against discrimination and oppression in all forms. Before joining the SPLC, Huang served as the executive director of Amnesty International USA, where she was responsible for leading campaigns to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees, torture survivors, gun violence victims, and activists and protesters across the globe. Under her leadership, the organization developed several new initiatives while growing its financial resources by more than 50% over four years.

She led several human rights missions to the U.S.-Mexico border to hear from asylum seekers and document abuses; accompanied three transgender youth across the border to seek asylum; and sent and led human rights observer delegations to monitor and document police responses to civil and human rights protesters in various locations across the United States.

Huang has worked with members of Congress on critical pieces of legislation, and she has advocated before United Nations human rights officials as well as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She has published numerous articles and opinion pieces, and she authored a chapter, “‘Going Global’: Appeals to International and Regional Human Rights Bodies,” in Bringing Human Rights Home, by Praeger Publishers.

Please enjoy this audio recording of the opening inspirational keynote presentation.