Have you been denied housing?

Victim to Victor

The Story of Fair Housing Council NJ Executive Director, Lee Porter

Mrs. Lee Porter is affectionately known as the “Mother of Fair Housing”. In 1965, Lee Porter and her husband were initially denied housing in Bergen County, prompting her to volunteer for the Fair Housing Council of Bergen County. Lee moved up the ranks to eventually hold the executive directorship in 1971, a position she still holds to this day.

Mrs. Porter was born in Brooklyn, one of four children. Her family and faith instilled in her the importance of helping others. Lee Porter became involved in civil rights at age 14, when she joined the Catholic Interracial Council in New York. While raising her children, the bespectacled, soft-spoken mother of three dedicated herself to helping others through scores of organizations, including the Girl Scouts, the League of Women Voters, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.