June 8, 2026

Dear NOAAH Members, Partners, and Stakeholders:

The NOAAH Board of Advisors is writing with an important update on our July conference — and the conditions driving this decision.

The SCOTUS Ruling and the Redistricting Wave

On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that has effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — stripping away the federal tools communities of color have relied on for six decades to challenge discriminatory maps. The consequences have moved fast:

• Louisiana signed SB 121, dismantling its second majority-Black congressional district and reverting to a map courts had already found likely violated the VRA.
• Florida redrew its 28 congressional districts before the November 2026 election. Civil rights groups filed suit the same day.
• Alabama called a special session to destroy the majority-Black district required by the Supreme Court’s own ruling in Allen v. Milligan — while primary ballots had already been cast under the existing map.
• Mississippi pre-announced a redistricting session to begin exactly 21 days after a Callais ruling — confirming these moves were planned well in advance.

At least six states will have new congressional maps in place for the 2026 midterms. Analysts project a 20–30% drop in baseline Black political leadership over the coming decade.

Why This Hits NOAAH Directly

NOAAH was built on the understanding that housing justice and political representation are inseparable. The CBC members who helped found NOAAH knew that without Black voices in Congress and statehouses, the housing resources, fair lending protections, and neighborhood investments our communities need cannot be secured or defended. Less Black representation means fewer champions for affordable housing, fewer checks on displacement, and fewer voices for equitable homeownership.

The FY2027 HUD Budget: A Parallel Assault

The redistricting wave is happening alongside a deliberate budget attack on fair housing itself. The Trump Administration’s FY2027 HUD proposal would cut $10.7 billion — a 13% reduction — from the Department’s budget. The most damaging provisions:

• Elimination of FHIP: The Fair Housing Initiatives Program funds nonprofits that handle nearly three-quarters of the nation’s housing discrimination complaints. At least 12 states have no state-funded fair housing agencies to fill the gap.
• 70% cut to Fair Housing Activities funding, locking in the 41.7% staffing reductions already imposed on HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
• Elimination of HOME and CDBG — two of the most critical investment tools for Black neighborhoods — for the second consecutive year.

Congress has historically rejected the most extreme HUD cuts — lawmakers pushed back on similar proposals in FY2026 — but that fight has to be waged, and our communities need representatives willing to wage it.

NOAAH’s Path Forward

Given everything unfolding, the NOAAH Board has decided that our time and resources are most urgently needed on the front lines — working alongside the NAACP, the National Urban League, and their affiliates to respond to this moment with the urgency it demands. We can’t proceed as if it’s business as usual.

As a first step, Board Member Floyd May and I will attend the NAACP National Conference in Chicago this July to deepen our collaboration and build the unified framework our communities need. Our July conference in Richmond will be rescheduled — details to follow.

The convergence of the Callais ruling, the redistricting wave, the erosion of CBC representation, and the proposed gutting of fair housing enforcement is not coincidence — it’s a coordinated architecture of displacement and political silencing. We see it clearly, and we will fight it together.

Thank you for your partnership and your shared sense of purpose.

Kevin Marchman
Co-Founder & National Director, NOAAH
Publisher, NOAAH Prime

“Motion without movement is meaningless”