South Jordan, Utah –In our ongoing effort to support the expansion of access to homeownership through educational resources, the UHOUSI Initiative (UHOUSI) is pleased to announce the addition of its Advisory Board. UHOUSI Senior Advisor, Don F. Harris explains why this is so important to us saying, “The Black Church has been and remains the primary purveyor of values and ideas that sustain and promote the holistic health and well-being of Black families and communities. It only stands to reason that we would enlist the advice and wisdom of Black faith leaders, especially given our efforts to promote home buyer education in partnership with Black churches.”
It is no secret that homeownership is a key component to wealth building in America. According to the Black Homeownership Collaborative, historic and ongoing discriminatory housing policies result in Black families and other people of color being excluded from having access to owning a home, even when they have sufficient income to cover debt service – (Black Homeownership Collaborative). In a grassroots effort to understand the needs of the communities we serve, the UHOUSI Initiative has enlisted the expertise of three faith-based leaders.
Rev. Dr. Iva E. Carruthers is a founding trustee and General Secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC), an interdenominational organization within the African American faith tradition focused on social justice issues. SDPC is both a 501c3 and United Nations Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). She has steered the organization as a unique, influential and esteemed global network of faith-based advocates and activists, clergy and lay. Dr. Carruthers has a long history of engagement in community development initiatives and social justice ministry, fostering interfaith and racial reparatory justice dialogue in the United States, Caribbean, South America, Asia and Africa.
Reverend Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is a native of Chicago, Illinois, Reverend Dr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Divinity degrees from Loyola University and McCormick Theological Seminary, respectively, in Chicago. In 2014 he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH. Reverend Dr. Jackson served under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., as the Associate Pastor to Men’s Ministries and the Premarital Counseling Program at the dynamic Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC) in Chicago.
Reverend Marcus Tabb, Sr. has most recently served as the Senior Pastor for the past 5 years at Neighborhood United Methodist Church in Maywood, IL. His former Pastoral appointments include Granville United Methodist Church and Hyde Park AME Church in Chicago. He is the former Director of Outreach and Recruitment at the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education. (SCUPE) and the Center for African American Theological Studies (CAATS). Rev. Tabb is a graduate of the Samuel DeWitt School of Theology at Virginia Union University with a Master of Divinity and a certificate from The Center for African American Theological Studies. As an organizer, he has worked with the Community Renewal Society on a Fair Cops Ordinance in Chicago and with the People’s Lobby Institute on a Responsible Business Act in Cook County, IL. He has also advocated for an Office of Gun Violence Prevention in Chicago with Live Free Chicago. He is the father of three sons: Maximillian (23), Marcus, Jr. (21), and Michael (18) attending HBCU’s.
With the guidance and wealth of knowledge these leaders have, it is our goal to amplify our message through their unique voices and continue our mission to promote equitable and sustainable homeownership through education and advocacy.
If you’d like to learn more about our new Advisors, please visit https://www.uhousi.com/about-us/.