Last week, the president of the National Association of Realtors, Charlie Oppler, publically and explicitly apologized for the role Realtors have played in perpetuating racial discrimination and inequality in housing.
"What Realtors® did was an outrage to our morals and our ideals. It was a betrayal of our commitment to fairness and equality. I'm here today, as the President of the National Association of Realtors®, to say that we were wrong. We can't go back to fix the mistakes of the past, but we can look at this problem squarely in the eye. And, on behalf of our industry, we can say that what Realtors® did was shameful, and we are sorry."
While apologizing alone will not rectify the losses and harm done by Realtors, the first step in facing the systemic injustices created by our actions is to name and take responsibility for them.
Thinking about this momentous step I am reminded of Isabel Wilkerson's (author of Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns) eloquent analogy that living in America is akin to living in an old house. As the new owner or inhabitant of an old house, we are responsible for its leaky roof, cracked foundation, and drafty windows even though these problems were created long before our arrival.
As Realtors, it is on us to fix what's broken in our house. Choosing this profession means choosing this work as part of our inheritance. NAR's admission and apology create an opening to begin the work of repair.
If you want to learn more about what inequality and injustice in real estate look like today, we recommend these articles about racial steering, and how to spot discrimination in the home buying process. To better understand how the impacts of systemic racism have persisted through history and through the entire homeownership experience, read this installment of Michelle Singletary's 10-part Sincerely, Michelle series in the Washington Post on the legacy of redlining.