Lee Porter (right) is pictured with Bergen member, Jean Strickholm (left). More than 50 years ago, Jean, an escort volunteer for fair housing, showed Lee the house that the Porters bought. Lee still lives there.
By Janet Glass
Lee Porter, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey, spoke at the Ethical Culture Society on Sunday, July 31, 2016. In 1965, Lee 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 and eventually rose to the executive directorship in 1971, a position she still holds to this day.
Fair Housing and Ethical Culture
The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County has a long history with the Fair Housing Council, having helped it get started in the 1960s. The effort to fight racial discrimination in housing was supported by the late Howard Radest. Members active in the efforts included Jim and Barbara Griffin, the Dumonts, the Goldenbergs, the Platoffs, the Neumanns, the Mausners, the Strickholms and others.