The Brooks Family Story

My parents, George and JoAnn Brooks met 48 years ago and they always had a dream to buy a house in rural Connecticut/*Quinnehtukqut where they had been renting urban apartments their entire lives. Their dream came true in 1995 when they found a parcel of land in Andover, Connecticut. They bought the land, my father built a home on it and they moved in ten years later.

Unfortunately, my parents fell victim to predatory lending practices that have devastated hard working families for generations. They were sold a high-interest, variable-rate mortgage they could never refinance.

My dad managed the finances for years, but when his Alzheimer's symptoms began in 2022, everything spiraled and my mother became the primary caretaker for my dad whose Alzheimer's had reached a point where he needed full time care. The stress from caretaking took its toll and she fell behind on the mortgage.

I only found out about the foreclosure in early 2025. I immediately hired a foreclosure attorney, and we're fighting to keep them in their home—but we need to raise $55,000 to cover back payments and legal fees, or they face eviction.

Without this home, my parents have nowhere to go. They're on fixed income. Once we clear this hurdle, they can manage their mortgage payments going forward—but right now, time is running out. Our goal is to start at 20,000.00 and keep fundraising for 55,000.00 which is the amount of their back debt. I documented their story in the short video above and would appreciate any and all donations to get them back on track with the mortgage, help pay the foreclosure attorney and the legal fees for their foreclosure case.

How You Can Help:

Any amount helps—$10, $50, $100, $1000... Please share this campaign widely. This isn't just about one family. It's about bringing awareness to how predatory lending and foreclosure continue to devastate elderly families, particularly in Black communities, as Ta-Nehisi Coates documented in "The Case for Reparations."

With your support, we can prove that community solidarity can overcome discriminatory housing practices.

Thank you for reading their story. Thank you for caring.

— mayfield brooks (Mary Ann)




*In solidarity with the land and the indigenous folks who are the original occupants of Turtle Island, I acknowledge my parents' home (and my birthplace) Connecticut as Quinnehtukqut which means "long, tidal river" from Algonquian-speaking Mohegan people on whose land my parents' story unfolds.