I'm skipping the recipe recommendation this week, because something popped into my email today which I think is more important. Yesterday, as part of a virtual summit on diversity and inclusion, National Association of REALTORS® President Charlie Oppler issued an official apology for the Association's past policies that supported racist practices, including redlining, steering, and racial covenants that kept nonwhite people from living in certain neighborhoods. 

This, combined with the NAR Board of Directors’ vote to ban discriminatory conduct and hate speech as part of the code of ethics member Realtors agree to when they join the association, are important actions on the part of the Association. Not just because it's important to actively confront and fight racism and discrimination, but also because these things are still problems in the real estate industry. And while many of these problems are inadvertent on the part of agents and brokers, many undoubtedly are not. 

I think it's important that the industry's largest trade association is aggressively tackling these issues, making a strong statement to its members that racism and descrimination will not be tolerated. I also think it's important to say as individual Realtors that we support these actions and vow to live up to them. 

The impact of the racist past of the Association is still negatively affecting our country today. Disparities of health outcomes and wealth are two glaring examples of the harm housing discrimination can cause. I strongly support the Association's actions in the past week. I urge my fellow Madison-area Realtors to do the same.

I also invite them to join me in taking direct action to address Madison's discrepancy in home ownership by donating a portion of every commission to the Urban League of Greater Madison's Home Ownership Program.