Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The FAAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee has assembled these tools and resources for you!
Join us the second Thursday of the month at 11 AM for the next DEI Committee meeting.
Looking for something else? Let us know at webmaster@faarmembers.com
What is DEI?
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are essential principles that create fair and welcoming environments where everyone can thrive.
- Diversity refers to the presence of different backgrounds, identities, and experiences, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion, and more.
- Equity ensures fair treatment, opportunities, and access for all, recognizing that different people may need different resources to succeed.
- Inclusion fosters a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute fully.
Why is DEI Important?
- Promotes innovation and creativity through diverse perspectives.
- Strengthens communities and workplaces by fostering understanding and collaboration.
- Reduces barriers and creates opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.
- Enhances engagement, morale, and overall well-being.
DEI in Real Estate
DEI plays a critical role in the real estate industry by ensuring fair housing practices, increasing accessibility to homeownership, and fostering diverse and inclusive communities.
- Fair Housing – DEI principles support fair housing laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and other factors.
- Equal Opportunities – Ensuring that all individuals have access to housing opportunities, regardless of background.
- Community Building – Encouraging diverse neighborhoods that promote inclusivity and social cohesion.
- Education & Advocacy – Real estate professionals can advocate for policies that break down barriers to homeownership and create equitable access to housing resources.
How can you support DEI?
- Educate Yourself – Learn about different cultures, identities, and experiences.
- Speak Up – Advocate for fairness and challenge discrimination.
- Listen & Learn – Engage in open conversations and respect different viewpoints.
- Take Action – Support policies and initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
When we commit to DEI, we build stronger, more inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to succeed! Please feel free to come to a FAAR DEI Committee meeting… The 2nd Thursday of every month from 11am to 12pm at the FAAR building. We would love to have you!
The Faces of FAAR Scholarship
Faces of FAAR Scholarship
Recognizing the diversity and inclusion of our membership
Defining Diversity
The term Diversity (as it applies to the scholarship) is the intentional creation and cultivation of safe spaces that amplify, celebrate, and embrace the unique makeup of every individual, no matter their ethnic background, their sexual orientation, their body type, their disability, or their economic status.
About the Scholarship
Selection
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee reviews the applications and makes selection
Submission Deadline
March 1, 2025
Monetary award
Award of $750 (reimbursed expenses) to attend Virginia REALTORS®/NAR events and meetings. Scholarship funds to be used by December 31 of the year that it’s awarded.
Presentation
Awarded annually and presented at the Spring awards event (April 16, 2025). Recipient is expected to attend this event.
Goal
The goal of this program is to promote diverse and inclusive leadership at FAAR. Recipient is encouraged to join the DEI Committee for the year awarded.
Essay Questions
In an essay format, please offer insight and information regarding these questions-
- Why do you think you are eligible for a diversity scholarship?
- How will you use the money? (which meetings/events for Virginia and NAR will you attend?)
- What could FAAR do to bring awareness to the DEI program activities and its diverse members?
- How do you demonstrate leadership in your business?
- Optional: personal story of challenges/hardships that you overcame to achieve your career goals.
- Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself that is related to the issue of diversity?
State and National Resources
National Association of Realtors®
Perception Institute
Korn Ferry: Race Matters Series
A Brighter Future
The leadership and staff at Bright MLS are committed to providing our subscribers and their clients with the tools needed for an open market that provides equal opportunity regardless of race, color, or national origin. As part of our ongoing work to elevate the importance of Fair Housing and equality in real estate, Bright has launched a webinar series for employees and subscribers. Hear from Bright Senior Leadership and watch the latest panel discussions now.
Shoring up our House: Addressing Historical and Current Issues of Racism, Bias, and Intolerance
More than 50 years after the Fair Housing Act was enacted, work is still underway to realize its full potential. Through the lens of NAR’s ACT! Initiative, this panel delves into both historical issues and current day crises.
Commercial Redevelopment: Building a Bridge to Fair Housing & Thriving Communities
One Together; Building Strong Inclusive Communities
SPEAKERS:
Additional Resources
Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of REALTORS®
NAR and Perception Institute’s training video Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing
NAR’s Fair Housing Posters and Ads
Fair Housing Book, Film, Podcast, and Journalism Recommendations from NAR
HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Online Complaint Form
Fair Housing chapter from NAR’s Real Estate Brokerage Essentials
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
by Sha Williams-Hinnant, 2022 FAAR Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee Chair, 2023 Virginia REALTORS® DEI Committee Chair
“Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” The old saying gets thrown around a lot and was intended to compel people to practice empathy. You never really know what someone else is experiencing and living unless you’ve had the chance to live a day in their reality.
Recommended Reading
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Rothstein details how federal housing policies in the 1940s and ’50s mandated segregation and undermined the ability of black families to own homes and build wealth.
The Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradan
Baradan shares the history of black banking from emancipation to the present as a vehicle for exploring the origins and persistence of the racial wealth gap in America.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
In Evicted, Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
Begin Again by Eddie Glaude, Jr.
Glaude covers the life and works of American writer and activist James Baldwin, and the theme of racial inequality in the United States.
Levittown by David Kushner
Read the true story of the first African-American family to move into the iconic suburb, Levittown, PA.
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color.
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson dives into the unspoken caste system that has shaped America.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson focuses on three unique individuals during the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.
Latinas in Real Estate by Maggie Antillon-Mathews
First and second-generation Latinas share their stories of how they built the American Dream in real estate despite the personal obstacles in their way.
Family Properties by Beryl Satter
Part family story and part urban history, a landmark investigation of segregation and urban decay in Chicago — and cities across the nation.
Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen
Learn about the thousands of “sundown towns”—almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks weren’t welcome—that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South.
Recommended Watching
What’s in a name?
Love Letters
Discussing Disabilities: What REALTORS® Need to Know
A Conversation on Race, Ethnicity, and Skin Tone
Training
Confront Discrimination in NAR’s Simulation Training at Fairhaven.realtor
Fairhaven 2.0 is NAR’s updated online tool that gives you a 360° view of fair housing. The update to NAR’s popular fairhaven simulation, Fairhaven 2.0, offers new eye-opening historical context, realistic scenarios, thought-provoking stories, award-winning videos, increased interactivity, and takeaways you can apply to your business. And it’s a convenient way for REALTORS® to fullfill NAR’s fair housing training requirement.
