The Detroit chapter of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People will honor U.S. Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo with this year's Freedom and Justice
Award for his work in fighting housing discrimination.
"This award serves as a reminder that in
the advent of the 21st century, we have made tremendous progress in opening
the doors of home ownership to thousands of families across the country.
Yet the more we move forward, the more we find that some things stay the
same-hate and prejudice find new ways to express themselves," Cuomo said,
"these are challenges that the nation must address."
The Freedom and Justice Award is given
to an individual who has excelled in advancing the economic and social
interest of undeserved communities. The presentation of the award will
be made this Sunday at the 45th Annual NAACP Fight for Freedom Dinner.
President Clinton will be keynote speaker at the dinner.
Last week, Cuomo was in Atlanta, co-chairing
the first of six hearings that will be held around the country to address
the growing problem of predatory lending. While expanded access to credit
from lenders has contributed to the highest home ownership rates in the
nation's history, 67.1%, there is growing evidence that some lenders are
engaging in predatory lending practices-excessive front-end fees, single
premium credit life insurance, and exorbitant prepayment penalties-that
make home ownership much more costly for families that can least afford
it.
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