Show your commitment to helping everyone achieve the American Dream of homeownership when you share Black History Month resources during February.

Realtor.com

Login or create an account at Realtor.com to access four social media infographics:

  • Black History Month February 2023,
  • The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB),
  • 5 Things REALTORS® can do for Black History Month and
  • 9 Influential Black real estate figures you should know.

In addition, you can register for the Feb. 17 webinar, “Connections: Getting to know the REALTISTS®, a discussion with NAREB CEO C. Renee Wilson.” The hour-long discussion begins at noon and will help you understand how your MLS or association can get more involved with NAREB and its local chapters. In Illinois, the local chapter is the Dearborn REALTIST® Board in Chicago. Dearborn is one of our industry partners.

Reports on Black homeownership

If you’re looking for an update on Black homeownership in the United States, you’ll want to read the latest annual report by NAREB, the 2022 State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) report. The report also includes recommendations to remove impediments to Black homeownership, eliminate discriminatory appraisal practices and improve the number of Black homeowners.

In addition, check out the Feb. 8 blog post by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, “In nearly every state, people of color are less likely to own homes compared to white households.” Using data from the American Community Survey, JCHS Research Associate Alexander Hermann reports that 71.7 percent of white households owned their homes between 2015-2019, compared to 47 percent for households of color (Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian). A graphic embedded in the blog post also allows readers to look up state-specific breakdowns, and shows an even wider percentage gap in Illinois between white households and households of color.

The Chicago Association of REALTORS®

In honor of the 60th anniversary of Blacks joining the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (CAR) as members, the organization’s website includes:

  • A video interview with current President Sarah Ware,
  • Images of past Black presidents and current CEO Michelle Mills Clement,
  • Infographics of current Black directors, current Black committee chairs and current Black foundation trustees,
  • Applications for five scholarship programs,
  • A Spotify playlist of 50-plus songs in honor of Black History Month and
  • Photos of CAR’s 2022 Black History Month event.

Did you know? The first four Black members of CAR, according to a 1963 Chicago Tribune article, were: George A. Anderson, Ripley B. Mead Jr., Julian A. Black and William Y. Browne.