HARTFORD — The Connecticut Fair Housing Center will present on May 20 the “Loving Award”  to the Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University, john powell. The event will be a the Bond ballroom in downtown Hartford.

A  consultant in Hartford’s  Sheff v. O’Neill case, powell  is known for his “ground breaking work” on race and equality. He is an internationally recognized authority in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and issues relating to race, ethnicity, poverty and the law.
Under his leadership, the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University has taken a national leadership role in developing, advocating for and researching an opportunity-based housing model, organizers say.

The Loving Award is named after  the couple who suffered “the ultimate form of housing discrimination” when Virginia banned them from residing together in the state because of their interracial union.  Eventually, Mildred and Richard Loving challenged Virginia’s prohibition on interracial marriages and their historic victory before the United States Supreme Court inspired generations of civil rights advocates

The  presentation will cap an  evening of recognition of several people who have “demonstrated extraordinary dedication and commitment to the ideal of fair and equitable housing.” 

Honorees also  include Beverly Bellody, the director of Social Services in the town of Tolland and Attorney Keith Fuller, who took over our foreclosure prevention project on an interim basis last year and whose presence was crucial to its growth.