Back in June, we had an episode called Addressing Racism In Real Estate.
That episode was just the beginning of the conversation about the very deep roots racism has in the real estate industry in particular and how the lingering effects contribute to the systemic racism that still exists in our country today.
To understand the history of racism in our industry, we added three additional books to the Agent Grad School summer book club–The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, Race For Profit by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and The South Side by Natalie Y. Moore.
On today’s episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent, not only are we having the book club discussion for these three books, but equally as important as the history, we also talk about how racism is still very much alive in the real estate industry today and what we as real estate agents can do about it.
My guest today, Harrison Beacher, has been a full-time real estate agent in Washington, DC since graduating from Georgetown University. He is honored as a top agent in his market year after year by both his clients and colleagues, he is a leader among leaders, an advocate for his clients, and is a sought-after local and national speaker.
Harrison was named one of Realtor® Magazine’s 30 under 30 Class of 2016. He was appointed to the 2017-2019 board of directors for his local Realtor Associations, and The National Association of Realtors Young Professionals Network appointed Harrison to their national advisory board as the RPAC participation chair for the 2019-2020 term.
But, above all his well-deserved awards and accolades, he is always looking for ways to include people in what he’s doing and he has a genuine desire to truly help people, especially ones that need it the most.
My favorite thing above all about Harrison is despite his demanding schedule and constantly being pulled in so many directions, he always a smile on his face.
Harrison was also recently part of the National Association of Realtors® Leadership Summit held in August 2020, where addressing historical and current issues of racism and bias in the real estate industry took center stage.
Listen in as we discuss the history of racism in our industry, how the passage of the fair housing laws starting in the late 1960s didn’t do nearly enough to change the housing laws, and the effects we are still seeing in our current day housing industry.
Most importantly, we discuss what we as real estate agents, who are the housing advocates on the front lines, can do about racism in our industry and the small changes we can make in our own businesses to stop it.
This is a topic every real estate agent should understand, take note of and participate in. I hope this episode helps you do just that.
Additional Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
NAR Leadership Summit Videos (note, you may have to be logged in to your National Association of Realtors® account to view these videos):
To learn more about Harrison or refer him clients looking for homes in the Washington, DC area go here and here.
To your success,
Jennifer
