ROOTS & RESILIENCE: A STORY OF BLACK EQUITY IN BROOKLYN
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
LOCATION:
Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11213
HOSTED BY:
Access Justice Brooklyn
&
The Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law
Thank you for joining us for a conversation examining deed fraud as a contemporary threat rooted in historic housing inequities. Drawing on legal, academic, and community perspectives, panelists explored its connections to redlining, the ongoing impacts on racial justice, and strategies to protect homeowners. The discussion highlighted frontline experiences and solutions aimed at safeguarding Black homeownership in Brooklyn.
ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS
MODERATOR:
Lilia Toson is the President & CEO of Access Justice Brooklyn. A dedicated civil rights lawyer and community advocate, she joined AJB in 2026 after serving as Attorney-in-Charge of Civil Citywide Units at The Legal Aid Society.
PANELISTS:
Angella Davidson is the Director of Operations at Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Brooklyn, a nonprofit housing counseling agency. Previously, she served as Program Director for NHS’s Foreclosure Intervention Program, where she oversaw the Canarsie office.
Prof. Rachel Godsil is a Professor at Rutgers Law School and a Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar. Her scholarly research focuses on the intersection of race, property, and the environment.
ReNika Moore is the Director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program. She oversees the ACLU’s racial justice litigation and advocacy on issues including housing and the economy.
Peter S. White II is New York City’s first Director of the Office of Deed Theft Prevention. Previously, he served as a supervising attorney at Access Justice Brooklyn, where he worked on foreclosure defense, deed theft, and other homeowner assistance matters.
CONNECT TO RESOURCES
Access Justice Brooklyn partners with compassionate pro bono attorneys and cross-industry professionals to provide high-quality civil legal services that help ensure equal access to the legal system. The organization focuses on services that strengthen the economic security of Brooklyn households, ensuring that income is never a barrier to legal help and financial stability. Its proven pro bono model—recruit, train, supervise, and support—also provides the flexibility to address emerging legal needs.
Visit www.accessjusticebrooklyn.org to learn more and to make a donation. Click here for community resources.
NHS Brooklyn is a community-based, HUD-approved nonprofit dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing. Through housing counseling, education, financial assistance, and partnerships with government agencies, businesses, and community organizations, NHS Brooklyn empowers residents to achieve and sustain homeownership, preserve their homes, strengthen their neighborhoods, and build more secure futures.
Visit nhsbrooklyn.org to learn more and to make a donation. Click here for community resources and forms.
The Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention is housed within the Department of Finance and coordinates a citywide effort to prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to deed theft, a type of fraud in which someone records a false or deceptive deed, mortgage, or other property document without the owner’s knowledge and consent.
Visit nyc.gov/deedtheft to learn more.
The Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law confronts and upends the array of American laws, policies, and practices that lead to racial oppression and injustice. By illuminating the history and impact of racism on law and society, we are able to find solutions to the injustice it causes and take action to advance freedom and fairness, for everyone.
Visit law.nyu.edu/centers/race-inequality-law to learn more and to make a donation.
