Racism in Affordable Housing

In an ongoing effort to foster dialogue and educate our community on racial justice issues, Falmouth Community Television (FCTV) presents the thirteenth episode in a series of programs entitled THE Conversation. Co-hosted and co-produced by Onjalé Scott Price and The Rev. Will Mebane, the series offers a timely dialogue on race with a local focus. The topic of this episode of THE Conversation is “Racism and Housing.”

Ms. Scott Price is the COO of Mizar Imaging in Woods Hole and a member of the Falmouth Select Board. Rev. Mebane is the rector of Falmouth’s St. Barnabas’s Episcopal Church.

Joining the co-hosts for this episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Tara Vargas Wallace and Wendy Cullinan. Bobbi Richards and Jordan Frye also appear on the program. The discussion in this episode of THE Conversation focuses on the questions: “How does racism exacerbate our affordable housing crisis?” and “What are the mechanisms or ideas to mitigate racism in affordable housing?”

Tara Vargas Wallace has over twenty years of experience in social services for agencies such as HAC, Independence House, and the Department Of Transitional Assistance. Her experience has been in working with marginalized populations with severe socioeconomic challenges; homelessness, family trauma, addiction and recovery, domestic and sexual violence, barriers to employment, and food insecurity. It is through this work that she has developed strong community partnerships which have been instrumental in strengthening community awareness for the hard to serve populations. She is a community advocate and social justice activist both on a local and state level. Tara is the founder and CEO of Amplify POC. She also serves on the boards of Housing Assistance Corporation, NAACP- Cape Cod Branch, Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, MLK Jr. Action Team, People Against Trafficking Humans.

Wendy Cullinan is the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod. Before taking over that position in 2020, Wendy served as the organization’s resource development director. Prior to her position at Habitat for Humanity, Wendy worked as a consultant for several Cape Cod non-profits including, the National Marine Life Center, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Woods Hole Research Center, and Gosnold Treatment Center. She is an ongoing member of Philanthropy Partners of the Cape and Islands and has served for several years on the Philanthropy Day planning committee. Wendy raised her family in Sandwich, where she was a volunteer in many school programs, taught Art History, and was a member of the School Council.