The California The Association of Realtors apologizes for its role in promoting policies that promote racial segregation across the state by a process known as “remedial action,” for more than 50 years after funding for a proposal that overturned the state’s first fair housing law, ABC 30 report.
On Friday, leaders from several real estate groups discussed next steps after the apology was made last week.
Association issues apology decades after backing bill overturns state’s first Fair Housing Act
The association, in partnership with nonprofits focused on expanding home ownership in communities of color, is now backing a new bill that could overturn a state law that has made it difficult for the state. more in building affordable housing.
The proposed law would also require real estate agents to undergo training in implicit bias. The president of the National Association of Realtors called it “a very long time coming.”
“This has been a very long time coming,” said Derrick Luckett, President of the National Association of Realtors. “The association has expressed a commitment to expanding intergenerational wealth in Black households.”
LIVE | The California Brokers Association is issuing a formal apology for past discriminatory policies https://t.co/wm7WVvjyJw
– kcranews (@kcranews) October 21, 2022
The California Association of Realtors, which now represents nearly 200,000 brokers statewide, is among many groups of its kind that have advocated for reclassification — or the creation of barriers to housing projects. stay cheap — an activity that has segregated cities across the country throughout the 20th century.
A Brief History of “Discrimination” in the State of California, A Practice That Promotes Racial Discrimination, Income Inequality
In the 1930s, the federal government, through the Homeowners Loan Corporation, created maps that classified parts of cities based on their creditworthiness, which we know now called reclassification.
This practice fueled racial segregation as well as income inequality by preventing residents living in specific neighborhoods from receiving loans and mortgages.
In 1950, the California Association of Realtors, then known as the California Association of Realtors, sponsored a campaign to supplement the state constitution, forcing the government to obtain voter approval. before spending wages on affordable housing.
However, the group has advocated the repeal of the amendment in recent decades.
In 1964, the association paid for a proposal that would invalidate the Rumford Act, a law intended to protect people of color from housing discrimination when searching for a home.
This California Center for Real Estate (CCRE) presentation will advance the policies needed to chart a course for improved affordability, greater household stability, increased equity race and reduce homelessness statewide. https://t.co/Zbj1p21xb4 pic.twitter.com/SMNniJMOxe
– CA ASSN OF REALTORS® (@CAREALTORS) October 24, 2022
But it wasn’t until George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery were murdered in 2020, that the National Association of Realtors issued an apology for its role in discriminating the land’s housing. country.
Cities around the country issue similar apologies for racist housing policies and practices
Cities include St. Louis and Minneapolis have seen their real estate groups follow suit in recent years.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the president of the California Association of Advocates, Otto Catrina, noted that this is not the first time the group has issued an apology over the matter, with the former president having done the same. so in their magazine last year, according to ABC. 30.
“For many of our members, this apology reflects the organization we are today and continue to work to promote inclusion and belonging to all our members and communities. us,” said Catrina.
Such discriminatory housing policies have certainly impacted black Americans across the country.
CAR officials Otto Catrina, Jennifer Branchini and John Sebree joined multicultural industry partners at a press conference this morning to discuss CAR’s official apology for discriminatory policies in the workplace. past. View transcript: https://t.co/OQfTb6WezG pic.twitter.com/TVgKqq2H4B
– CA ASSN OF REALTORS® (@CAREALTORS) October 21, 2022
The figures show that the home ownership rate of black Americans is almost half that of white Americans
According to the National Association of Realtors.
Black homeowners also said the value of their home’s appraisal increased when they removed any indication that a black family lived there, the outlet reports.
A spokesperson for California housing advocacy group YIMBY said the association needs to clarify what next steps will be to address the effects of discriminatory housing policies it has previously supported.
“An apology is always backward, so it’s important that you work to repair the damage you’ve caused,” said Matt Lewis, a spokesman for California housing advocacy group YIMBY. . “But the next step is, so what are you going to do with it?”
