Despite moving away from corporate DEI, real estate cannot go backwards, writes New Inman contributor Anita Legacy Blue, 2024 LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Chair.
The time has come – the time to take charge. This summer, July 30-August 1, 2024, experience the complete reinvention of the most important event in real estate at Inman Connect in Las Vegas. Join your peers and the best in the industry to shape the future. learn more.
Most people who know me in the real estate world know me as the 2024 President of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance or an eXp Agent real estate. But they don’t know my background in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) world—a world that unfortunately is under attack by many misinformed and misinformed people who don’t know how challenging it is, and It’s always been that way, for minorities in America. Believe me, it’s not easy being black, let alone a lesbian.
I served almost my entire life in the United States Air National Guard, retiring on active duty. Before entering the real estate industry, I managed the Military Equal Opportunity Office, located in what is now the National Guard’s 147th Attack Wing.
My job is not only to support diverse military members, but also to work to ensure that diversity-led companies have equal opportunities as suppliers. I’ve seen firsthand how DEI initiatives can help positively change the culture of our organization.
The U.S. military is certainly not the easiest place to change, but I am very proud of the progress our armed forces have made in fully listening to and appreciating the voices of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other diverse groups.I said I knew “Don’t ask, don’t tell” The policy barring LGBTQ+ people from serving in the military was not repealed until 2011.
Real estate is another area where I see DEI playing a role. I have met DEI leaders and hundreds of members of DEI-led employee resource groups that allow their organizations to hear and learn from diverse community perspectives and ultimately acquire new clients and customers.
That’s why it’s so frustrating for me to hear that DEI workers across the country are currently facing layoffs and layoffs.according to a company articletop-performing companies across the country are scaling back their DEI programs in response to backlash from conservatives.
Ron DeSantis on Florida Law forcing the University of Florida to fire While the school is still making positive progress, its entire DEI staff poor record Minority students – AANHPI students make up only 11% of the student body, and black students only 5.5%.
The murder of George Floyd in 2020 set off a wave of change across the country. Our country seems to be waking up to how difficult it is to have a diverse community. Corporate America and many other organizations want to change for the better, with the number of new DEI hires peaking in 2023.
But what followed was a backlash of fear and intimidation. Minorities are outspoken in their belief that DEI efforts harm white communities. Really? hurry up. Put yourself in the shoes of a Black, Hispanic, AANHPI, LGBTQ+ or any other diverse person. You might say we have the same opportunities as white people. But we don’t and we don’t. Our road to success is, and always will be, hard.
Real estate is considered the great equalizer and everyone can succeed regardless of education, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or anything else. I have met some of the kindest, most caring, nonjudgmental people who are willing to learn and “do better,” but we still have a lot of problems.
The real estate industry is not immune to the lack of diversity within us. Bootstrapping, denial of service, blatant discrimination and unconscious bias remain rampant in real estate, making the buying and selling experience a nightmare for minorities. The coalition’s most recent member survey found that real estate agents are the second-largest culprit of discrimination against LGBTQ+ buyers and sellers.
Real estate requires DEI training. We need more diversity in agency teams, as well as leadership at brands, companies and associations.
do not trust me?have a look NAR 2023 Member Profile. Eighty-one percent of NAR members are white agents, up from 77% the year before. Hispanics make up 10% of the population, and blacks and AANHPI agents make up 5%. LGBTQ+ agents make up approximately 4% of the membership.
Clearly, our country still has problems with homeownership rates across different industries. The homeownership rate for non-Hispanic whites is 73.8% According to the U.S. Census, followed by the AANHPI community (63%), Hispanics (49.8%), and Blacks (45.9%).UCLA Williams College Report The LGBTQ+ homeownership rate is 49.8%.Death rates for all different groups are below national rates 65.7%.
The whole reason for DEI is to level the playing field for everyone, no matter who you are. Diversity recruiting is not an attack on the white workforce. We just need to have plans in place to remind us all that there are millions of diverse candidates out there who are smart, creative, skilled and driven. They just don’t have the same chances and opportunities to succeed.
Diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring a myriad of ideas, fostering creativity and adaptability in an ever-changing business environment. But we can’t achieve this goal if we don’t welcome DEI and work to eliminate unconscious bias, discrimination, and hatred.
Thankfully, thousands of real estate professionals have embraced Stop Real Estate Hate Initiative Committed to helping our real estate and society eliminate hostility towards different industries.
The shrinking of DEI programs in corporate America is a disastrous trend that deserves reconsideration. We cannot allow this to happen in real estate; DEI is too important. In fact, instead of thinking about getting rid of DEI, let’s go ahead and make sure every REALTORS association, every brand, and every company continues to embrace it.
Anita Legacy Blue is the 2024 President of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance.
