Frank Mesiah and Buffalo NAACP Honored at HOME's 39th Annual Meeting

On April 18, a record number of fair housing supporters gathered at Rich Renaissance to celebrate HOME’s 39^th year and honor individuals and organizations for their contribution to fair housing and human rights.

The evening began with a short reception and an opportunity to meet old and new friends. Guests were then welcomed by Membership Chair Eunice Jackson before enjoying a buffet dinner.

Board Secretary Samuel Loliger then introduced the evening’s entertainment, the Hutchinson Family Revival, directed by Richard Price. In period dress, the group performed songs about abolition, suffrage, and civil rights. The group is a recreation of the celebrated 19^th Century singing group.

After the entertainment, President Susan Fayle called the meeting to order and introduced Judith Metzger, Chair of the Nominating Committee. Ms. Mezger gave the report of the committee and then the election of new officers and board members was conducted. Elected to new positions this year were Susan M. Fayle, Chair; Charles C. Thomas III, President; Janet E. Barnes, Senior Vice President; and Stephen B. Karnath, Vice President. Samuel E. Loliger and Michael D. Riegel were reelected to their positions as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Also elected to positions on the board were Grace A Andriette, Elizabeth G. Clark, Lance A. Fertig, Herbert L. Grimes, Eunice Jackson, James F. Joyce, Stephen B. Karnath, Helen C. Kregg, Alois G. Williams, and Amy M. Zeckhauser.

Following the election, the Joanne Champion Granger Scholarship award was presented. This year, both first and second place scholarships were awarded. First prize was given to Frances Jo Dixon from Williamsville East High School, and Gunisha Singh, of Williamsville North High School received second prize. Honorary president Arthur Butler presented the awards.

What a year!

Outgoing Chair Cecile Dorliae then highlighted some of HOME's accomplishments over the last year. The sheer numbers of people served were impressive. Not including the over 3000 people reached through educational presentations, HOME provided counseling, paralegal information, and referral services to 5000 people. Of the 235 reports of discrimination handled by HOME last year, 29 cases were filed and 25 were conciliated prior to commencing legal action.

Other achievements of the past year include:

¨ Working to reverse the City’s plan to end financial support for fair housing;

¨ Participation in a national study to measure the extent of housing discrimination;

¨ (Finally) publishing the fourth edition of A Guide to Landlords’ Rights;

¨ Expanding the Community Housing Center to serve a broader segment of the population;

¨ Participating in the League of Women Voters’ Educational Coalition on Sprawl, the Erie County Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing Standards, and the Erie County Fair Housing Partnership;

¨ In collaboration with the members of the Inclusion Task Force, continuing to pressure the City about the application of its Restricted Use Permit Ordinance which has been used by some to create barriers for agencies serving the poor and people with disabilities; and

¨ Successfully concluding a major case against the Marine Drive Apartments and, in the months since, continuing to monitor the complex to assure compliance with the consent decree.

Awards and honors

Following her report, Ms. Dorliae recognized cooperating attorney Linda Hassberg of the Western New York Law Center who has represented HOME since 1997 in its case against the Marine Drive Apartments.

Cecile Dorliae received the Director’s Award for her three years as board Chair and the Mitzi Williams Award for Professional Service was presented to a stunned Andrea Mujahid-Moore.

HOME’s highest honor, the James Crawford Award was presented to Janet Meiselman, a principal at Housing Unlimited. She was recruited as a tester for HOME over a dozen years ago, and joined the HOME board six years ago. After becoming the Chair of the Planing Committee, she took the lead in beginning to translate the goals of HOME’s new strategic plan into doable steps.

The Sarah G. Metzger Human Rights Award was presented to Frank Mesiah and the Buffalo Chapter of the NAACP. Under Frank Mesiah’s leadership, the Buffalo NAACP has encouraged scholarship with its ACT-SO program (now in its 25^th year) registered young people to vote, educated our state legislators, and worked to improve communications between police departments and people of color.

Presenting the award, Executive Director Scott Gehl said “HOME and the NAACP go back a long way” explaining that long time NAACP President Dan Acker was one of HOME’s founders. He said: “…the NAACP and its president Frank Mesiah are always in the forefront of efforts to advance the cause of civil rights in our community… With our presentation of the Sarah G. Metzger Human Rights Award, we want to make clear how much HOME appreciates the invaluable contributions of Frank Mesiah and the other volunteers of the NAACP.”

Accepting the award on behalf of the NAACP, Mr. Mesiah pointed out that the organization receives no state, local, or federal funding. So, he said, “We appreciate organizations like HOME… When there’s a case of housing discrimination, we don’t have to handle it, we can refer it to HOME.”

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