Black women leaders praise Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD secretary

WASHINGTON — President-elect Biden nominated U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge to serve as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement in support of Fudge’s appointment:

“President-elect Biden deserves praise for appointing Rep. Marcia Fudge secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Rep. Fudge has deep experience, having served on subcommittees covering a diverse array of issues, including health, conservation, employment and civil rights. No stranger to hard work, Rep. Fudge will have her hands full moving the department back toward its focus on helping people hard-hit by the economic downturn resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

“The new HUD secretary faces a severe housing crisis as millions of residents face evictions due to the pandemic and the related recession. Black women and their families have suffered immensely under the Trump administration’s housing policies, which weakened protections against discrimination.

“In Our Own Voice praises President-elect Biden’s selection of Rep. Fudge to lead HUD. We encourage him to continue to appoint more Black women experts to his cabinet and to other high-level administration positions.”