NEWS RELEASE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2008

CONTACT: Kate Scott at (504) 596-2100 or kscott@gnofairhousing.org

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GNO FAIR HOUSING ACTION CENTER & NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK HOST DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AND DISCUSSION: “ART, GENTRIFICATION, AND COMMUNITY POWER”

View the electronic flyer here.

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) and the Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) present “Art, Gentrification, and Community Power” on April 17th from 6-9pm in the lobby of the Capital One Building at 313 Carondelet Street.

The event will feature a screening of the documentary Third Ward, TX, about Project Row Houses, a community art project in Houston that helped to revitalize a neighborhood.  The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Project Row Houses founder Rick Lowe, New Orleans artist Stephanie McKee, housing expert James Perry, and neighborhood leader Jessica Knox.  Light refreshments will be served.  The event is free and open to the public.  Those interested should call 504.596.2100 or send an email to kscott@gnofairhousing.org to RSVP.

A group of artists founded Project Row Houses to create community through the celebration of art and African American history and culture.  Originally, the group purchased and rehabbed a row of shotgun houses in the historically African American Third Ward of Houston, TX.  A portion of the houses are used as exhibition space for artists and a portion of the houses are used to provide housing for single mothers.  The documentary Third Ward, TX tells the story of Project Row Houses with a focus on how the organization is handling the gentrification that ensued following their great successes.    

GNOFHAC Executive Director James Perry comments, “The Fair Housing Act was passed 40 years ago this month and we have yet to see truly open housing in New Orleans.  Innovative ideas like Project Row Houses help to foster healthy neighborhoods, so this is a hopeful discussion to be having in the City of New Orleans at this historical moment.  Please join us Thursday, April 17th.”

The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) is a private non-profit organization. The Center was established by a group of concerned New Orleanians in 1995 with the help of the National Fair Housing Alliance and a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNOFHAC is dedicated to eliminating housing discrimination and furthering equal housing opportunities through education, outreach, advocacy, and enforcement of fair housing laws across the metro New Orleans area.