Our Commitment to DEIJ
As a Black-led & woman-led nonprofit organization, Manna uses a diversity, equity, inclusion, & justice (DEIJ) framework to face decades of segregationist urban planning policies, federal law, & gentrification practices which have excluded BIPOC families from financial & familial security tied to homeownership.
At Manna, we strive to move beyond the binary of equality. We believe that turning a blind eye to systemic racism to maintain “colorblindness” impedes progress and further divides us all. Rather, we integrate principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice both within our organization, and externally to best serve our communities, taking a holistic view to address inequities and build a better, welcoming future for all.
(Manna Staff)
We define DEIJ as the following:
Diversity – composed of differing human elements, including those of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, ability, religion, thought, experience, and other identities.
Equity – justice dealt freely from bias or prejudice against any involved.
Inclusion – the practice of creating an environment or schema in which all are treated with respect and have equal opportunity and resources to thrive.
Justice – fair treatment of groups historically and systemically under-represented and under-served.
Since its inception in 1982, Manna has developed and sold over 2,000 affordable single-family homes, condominiums, cooperatives, and townhomes. Through our first-time homebuyers’ program, Manna has helped low- and moderate-income buyers gain access to over $200 million in home equity, enabling buyers to develop financial security while investing in neighborhoods. Manna commits to addressing disparities in homeownership opportunities.
Affordable housing and racial equity in our country are deeply intertwined. Decades of segregationist urban planning policies, federal law, and gentrification practices have excluded BIPOC families from the financial and familial security tied to homeownership. The average white family’s net worth, at $171,000, is nearly ten times greater than that of the average Black family’s net worth at $17,150, according to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institute.
History matters because contemporary wealth in the United States is through familial inheritance that is most typically garnered through homeownership, the principal source of wealth creation for most American families. With an inequitable start in homeownership and therefore economic gains, this legacy and large disparity in homeownership opportunities persists for generations.
Built on the foundation that housing is not a privilege but a human right, Manna fervently believes that all people deserve access to affordable and safe housing opportunities in which they can thrive—providing security and stability for children to succeed in school, financial stability to save for the future, and means to accrue inter-generational wealth. Manna commits to equity in our communities through development of affordable rental and for-sale housing, comprehensive homeownership counseling services, and preservation of diverse neighborhoods. As of December 2020, 80% of the households that receive housing counseling identify as Black, 8.3% identify as Hispanic, 1% identify as Asian/Asian American, 1.5% identify as White/Caucasian, and 5.5% are multi-racial or multi-ethnic. The majority of households we serve are also overwhelmingly female-headed households.
“The fact is that housing is an issue of both racial justice and economic equity due to injustices stemmed from structurally racist policies such as redlining and urban renewal, which decimated Black communities over many decades. To this day, many of these communities still struggle to rebound. This is especially true in key areas, such as quality education, equal access to healthcare, and quality, safe, and sustainable housing—all basic necessities that families need to thrive.”
“Affordable housing is not just providing housing that’s affordable, it’s also investment in neighborhoods and communities in ways that transform those neighborhoods, and gives them opportunities and health and a really strong internal economy within that neighborhood so that there’s this feedback loop that’s positive, rather than a feedback loop that’s negative.”
