Silence In the Real Estate Sector is Unacceptable
I can’t help but wonder about the silence of realtors, especially here in Washington, DC, regarding the injustice we see, and the inequities we know exist in the Black community. Some of my progressive real estate colleagues have posted on social media their support for Black Lives Matter, their disgust of the murder of George Floyd and other black men and women at the hands of police officers. They have also attended protests. But how are we addressing the inequities and the resulting impact of implicit and explicit bias, racism, and segregation in our industry? Are we even talking about it? Are we holding each other accountable? Are we also holding up a mirror to our businesses to determine if there are changes we need to make to represent the communities we feed off?
After a local realtor spewed the “N’ word at Black police officers in DC, there was total silence from our real estate commissions regarding the matter. The brokerage where the realtor worked acknowledged that he was wrong, and they are adamantly opposed to racism. Still, when feedback from the community on their IG feed started to ask them about their guiding principles, they chose to block further comments. In essence, they were saying that we will not respond to what you share because it doesn’t matter to us. What a slap in the face! Especially in a market that is over 47% Black, our nation’s capitol.
Realtors and real estate brokers must begin to think about how we do business and support the Black community not only in the DMV but throughout our nation. We must recognize the systemic racism and policies that have impacted fair housing, home equity, segregation, redlining, and other challenges that impact Black families.
We must step up to educate and support Black people so they can become or remain homeowners to build wealth for their families and community. We must be active in reshaping and advocating for policies that influence or regulate home equity, zoning, mortgages, and home values that negatively impact Black people. We must be sure that people know their legal rights when it comes to fair housing and systems that allow them to report realtors and their brokerage for equal opportunity and fair housing violations.
I am a realtor, and it is how I make a living, but I am also a Black woman with children and grandchildren who have been a victim of and understands injustice in my community. It is my responsibility to speak up for my community first, to provide resources when I can and support their quest for homeownership.
It should not be business as usual! We make too much money in real estate to be excused from responding to and developing systems to correct social injustice, systemic racism, and privileged bias in the real estate sector. I challenge my colleagues to determine what they can and should do to be sure they are acting in the best interest in the communities where they do business. To Identify an organization they can work with to empower the Black community to become homeowners and to engage and demand their brokerage to make fair housing and racial injustice a part of their educational curriculum at minimum. I challenge people who live in the community to question your realtor and find out what they do to support the Black community financially, through volunteerism or advocacy.
Silence is unacceptable!
Cheryl Shaw is an award-winning licensed realtor in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia with the Shaw Sells DC Team of GreenLine Real Estate. She helps professionals and families discover, secure, and develop real estate opportunities with clear goals and simple strategies. Contact her at 202-823-9313 or ShawSellsDC@gmail.com