NCAPA and National CAPACD Oppose HUD’s Decision
to Modify Mission Statement

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) issued the following statement in response to reports that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, Ben Carson intends to remove anti-discrimination language from HUD’s mission statement:

“NCAPA strongly opposes any change to HUD’s mission statement that fails to recognize one of the fundamental purposes of the agency is fighting housing discrimination. HUD’s creation and mandate has always been rooted in the Civil Rights Movement, and one does not need to look far to see the need for continued vigilance against discrimination in housing today. We urge HUD Secretary Carson to reconsider this proposal immediately.”

NCAPA National Director, Gregg Orton added the following:

“Refusing to acknowledge the existence of discrimination in housing unfortunately does not alter the reality that discrimination in housing exists. Similarly, potentially changing its mission statement does not absolve HUD from its responsibility and mandate to create sustainable communities and fight housing discrimination. Self-sufficiency has always been a goal for uplifting communities out of poverty. However, demanding self-sufficiency in the absence of meaningful opportunities—opportunities that have been limited by structural discrimination—is housing policy that is doomed to fail the people who need it the most.”

National CAPACD Executive Director, Seema Agnani stated:

“The proposed change to HUD’s mission is yet another attempt by this Administration to dismantle policies and initiatives created to protect the civil rights of all Americans. It is not by coincidence that HUD was created in the mid-sixties amidst the civil rights struggles in this country. By removing language that is an affirmative commitment to ensure that all Americans can live free from discrimination and replacing it with language grounded in principles of self-sufficiency, Ben Carson is mistakenly aligning HUD with a set of values that blatantly ignores the systemic racism deeply embedded in our systems.”