ANHD 2016 Building the Community Development Movement
We are very sad to announce the passing of our long-time friend and colleague, Christine Roland, the beloved tenant advocate from Queens Community House. ANHD has a big conference room that is usually full of tenant advocates, but it won’t be the same without Chris there to make bad jokes about Queens and keep us grounded in what matters most about our work – the tenants we help.
With her many years of front-line work, Chris was one of the most experienced and committed tenant advocates in the city. She knew better than almost anyone in our field how to spot a rent overcharge, how to get an apartment repaired, how to help a tenant fight an unfair eviction, and, of course, the importance of organizing to increase access to safe , affordable housing for all New Yorkers. Her deep knowledge of tenant law and advocacy strategy was unparalleled.
But more than anything, we learned from Chris that the best activists are motivated by joy and a sense of justice deep in their core. Chris loved her borough, she loved the neighborhoods she worked in, and she loved the tenants who she helped. Her enthusiasm and joy, even in the most dispiriting fights, helped to keep a lot of us going.
She will be missed by the tenants she helped, the community she loved, and by all of us in the ANHD community.