In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the City’s Human Rights Commission, the Office of Equity and Human Rights will host a webinar conversation with Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023.

PDAS McCain will cover HUD’s efforts to eliminate housing discrimination and promote economic opportunity, and how a community can work to achieve diverse and inclusive neighborhoods.

Preregistration is required. Register here.

About PDAS McCain

PDAS McCain joins HUD following fifteen years of service, with five as president, at the Inclusive Communities Project (ICP), a Dallas, TX-based affordable fair housing nonprofit. Prior to becoming president, she oversaw operations, communications, and ICP’s Mobility Assistance Program, a housing mobility program that helps housing choice voucher holders exercise their fair housing rights. Conceived by Demetria, ICP’s “Voices for Opportunity” initiative has provided advocacy training to low income renters and neighborhood groups of color.

Before joining ICP, PDAS McCain worked on USDA Section 515 rural multifamily housing matters at the National Housing Law. She was also a staff attorney for the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of Washington, D.C., assigned to the southeast office, where her portfolio primarily included landlord-tenant matters for low-income renters in private and public housing.

PDAS McCain brings dual vantage points to FHEO after having spent years assisting both housing choice voucher holders who sought low-poverty well-resourced housing options and neighborhood groups in underserved communities of color who sought more equitable distribution of resources and services.  PDAS McCain has sat on several local and national nonprofit boards and is a sought-after panelist and commentator on affordable fair housing, and the impacts of residential segregation.

She is a graduate of Howard University School of Law, New York University and Brooklyn College and a member of the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

History of City’s Human Rights Commission

The Iowa City City Council established the City’s Human Rights Commission on Aug. 20, 1963. The commission’s duties would include studying the problems of intergroup relationships in the city and action to eliminate bigotry, prejudice, and misunderstanding while guiding and directing educational efforts to ease racial issues, encourage equality, and eliminate discrimination. The original seven-member Commission investigated unlawful housing discrimination as its first project.

Accommodations

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all City of Iowa City-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in these events, please contact the Office of Equity and Human Rights at 319-356-5022 or [email protected].