Former Massachusetts Senator Edward W. Brooke to Receive Congressional Gold Medal of Honor

Longtime MLRI Ally and Advocate Honored for Work on Behalf of Public Housing Tenants

BOSTON – On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, former Massachusetts Senator Edward W. Brooke will receive the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in the Capitol Rotunda in recognition of his tireless work to promote the rights and interests of public housing tenants. Brooke served in the United States Senate from 1967-1979.

“Senator Brooke is revered by public housing tenants in Massachusetts and across the country,” said Annette Duke, an attorney with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI). “He waged a vigorous campaign in Congress for meaningful tenant participation and fought to bridge the divide between tenants and management. He championed the Brooke Amendment, which has kept rents in public housing affordable for decades, and established one of the cornerstones of the public housing program—that public housing must be subsidized in order to fill the gap between rents and operating expenses.”

Long after departing the Senate, Brooke continued to work with MLRI on a number of public housing policy issues and initiatives, including a recent effort to help MLRI and the Boston Resident Training Committee launch a school designed to improve the ability of public housing tenants to play a more active role in the governance and management of the properties in which they live.

“Now, more than ever, the people who live in public housing need to be true partners in confronting and solving the many challenges that public housing faces,” wrote Brooke.

About MLRI

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a non-profit legal services organization committed to promoting social and economic justice across Massachusetts through advocacy, education and legal action. Its mission is to ensure the fundamental needs of traditionally underserved, low-income populations are met, and to advocate for systemic reforms to policies and practices that harm people living in poverty. MLRI’s staff work in a variety of fields, including housing, health care, public benefits, immigration law, court reform, employment law, racial equity, elder law, education and family law.

MLRI also provides support to client-based legal services organizations so they may best serve their constituencies. A 2008 assessment of MLRI conducted by three experienced, national peer reviewers affirmed that MLRI “is one of the premier state support centers in the country” and “remains the backbone of the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system.”

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Date Posted: 10/23/2009 3:21 pm