Diversity and Inclusion
The FAAR Diversity Committee has assembled these tools and resources for you! Looking for something else? Let us know at webmaster@faarmembers.com
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 New Simulation Training at Fairhaven.realtor | Earn 1 hour CE by taking the course at learn.virginiarealtors.org
Welcome to Fairhaven, a fictional town where REALTORS® work against the clock to sell homes while confronting discrimination in the homebuying process.
This new, immersive online simulation training will also put members of the National Association of REALTORS® in the shoes of a client experiencing discrimination as they try to buy a home. It’s set to launch at fairhaven.realtor on Nov. 18.
Sandra Butler, AHWD, chair of NAR’s Fair Housing Policy Committee, discussed the goals of the program during the NAR 360 virtual presentation that kicked off the 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo on Oct. 28.
“I’m hopeful that the simulation training will go a long way toward overcoming biases and building consistency toward a fair and just real estate transaction for all buyers,” Butler said. “Discrimination of any kind within our industry not only violates the law but is bad for our businesses and bad for the communities we all love.”
The new training program will present real estate pros with various scenarios as they work to close transactions, Butler said. When discrimination gets in the way of closing the deal, agents must choose how to handle each scenario. They receive feedback based on their answers as they advance through the simulation. The platform also includes powerful testimonials from buyers and discrimination testers, illustrating the effect of housing discrimination on people’s lives.
“It deals with uncomfortable subjects,” said Marc Gould, NAR’s senior vice president of member professional development, during the Broker Engagement Council meeting Nov. 3.
Participants who begin the simulation will be able to save their work and come back to complete it later. The training can take up to two hours but can go more quickly based on the user’s fair housing knowledge. Members can go through the simulations as many times as they want. A certificate of completion can be shared with an agent’s broker.
“I’m sure this will be something that will make a big impact on REALTORS® and their level of professionalism,” said Kim Dawson, chair of NAR’s Broker Engagement Council.
Ernst & Young Learning Labs, which developed NAR’s Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) training platform, created the Fairhaven program for NAR and its members. The website is part of NAR’s ACT! Initiative, a fair housing action plan that emphasizes accountability, culture change, and training to promote equal housing opportunity within the industry.
NAR Spire Mentorship Program
Unlock your Future in Real Estate
FAAR is proud to partner with the National Association of REALTORS® to present this new initiative as an opportunity specifically targeting multi-cultural, minority communities, focused toward building bridges to the holistic real estate community.
This mentorship opportunity will help individuals learn the fundamentals of the real estate industry, foster education, empower serious consideration of real estate as a career path, and encourage and promote the development of generational wealth through property ownership.
Just getting started in real estate? Discover your path with a free real estate career assessment at futureinrealestate.realtor.
Applications are currently closed for the 2022 Mentorship Program.
Would you like to be considered for future programs? Submit your information below!
The Mentorship Experience
- Provide learning and networking opportunities for both mentor/mentees to attend together featuring industry titans/celebrities, motivators, etc.
- Create a sense of exclusivity among participants.
- Achieve a certificate of completion and encourage mentees interested in a sales role to pursue their license.
Program Activities
- NAR will provide and offer two monthly training mentoring activities for each mentor and mentee.
- Job shadowing opportunities.
- Discuss training and educational opportunities.
- Network opportunities for professional development.
- Recommend developmental activities.
- Tips to increase communication skills.
- Attend business-related events.
- Receive constructive feedback from industry expert.
NAR Mentorship Program Interest
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
April 1, 2023
Monetary award
Award of $1,000 (reimbursed expenses) to attend Virginia REALTORS®/NAR events and meetings
Presentation
Awarded annually and presented at the Spring awards event (April 19, 2023)
Goal
The goal of this program is to promote diverse and inclusive leadership at FAAR.
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?