In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, GCAAR and NAHREP D.C. co-presented a webinar focused on the experience of Hispanic REALTORS® in Montgomery County and Washington, D.C. Moderated by Ileann Jimenez-Sepulveda, we welcomed panelists from our Hispanic community: Cher Castillo, Andres Serafini, Ana Maria Menendez, Daniel Llerena, Eddie Suarez, and Lou Vivas.

June 22, 2022: Pride Edition

In honor of National Pride Month, we co-hosted a panel with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, featuring LGBTQIA+ members who were willing to share their personal stories and experiences from working in the real estate industry over the last few decades. Moderated by GCAAR Secretary Christopher Suranna, our panel featured John Coplen, David DeSantis, Ed Downs, Shanika Hopson, and Renee Peres.

February 17, 2022: DE&I in the local real estate industry

GCAAR’s History and Power of Real Estate series is back and we are kicking off the year with a panel, featuring a few of GCAAR’s very own REALTOR® members in honor of Black History Month. Moderated by President Harrison Beacher, we heard directly from Angela Jones and Dale Mattison about their experiences with DE&I in the real estate industry and how it affected them then and now.

June 17, 2021: Three ways to be a more anti-racist real estate professional

March 31, 2021: The eviction of the Broad Branch Road Black community

On Wednesday, March 31, GCAAR co-hosted the second History & Power of Real Estate webinar of 2021 with the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® and Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS®. We invited representatives from Historic Chevy Chase DC (HCCDC) to explain the history behind the proposal to re-name and revise the signage for Lafayette Park and Recreation Center in northwest DC. They had a great presentation with the background knowledge you need to market homes in this neighborhood! 

January 6, 2021: Richard Rothstein and "The Color of Law"

GCAAR, the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® and the Prince George's County Association of REALTORS® proudly presented a brand-new presentation featuring Richard Rothstein himself - the renowned author of the popular book, "The Color of Law" on Wednesday, Jan. 6. Rothstein built upon the earlier discussions we've hosted through our webinar series about how the residential segregation in the early/mid-20th century contributed to the racial segregation that characterizes every metropolitan area in the U.S. today.

Take a look at the additional resources Richard Rothstein provided to the presentation’s attendees here.

October 26, 2020: History of Lincoln Park

On Monday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m., GCAAR and DCAR continued their History and Power of Real Estate series with Dr. Miriam Bunow, Education & Outreach Manager of Peerless Rockville, to discuss the development of Lincoln Park, its context in Montgomery County history and significant homes/individuals/sites within.

September 21, 2020: Mapping Segregation in D.C.

On Monday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m., Sarah Shoenfeld, co-owner of research firm Prologue DC, led the webinar “Mapping Segregation in D.C.,” focusing on the development history and racial context of the District’s Bloomingdale neighborhood, as well as legal challenges that emerged from it

August 20, 2020: Race & Real Estate Context & History

To kick off the new series, on August 20, GCAAR and the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® presented the first webinar, "Race and Real Estate Context & History."

To set the stage for the rest of the series, 2020 GCAAR Secretary Harrison Beacher and Nicole Canole, East + Ivy CEO discussed the book, “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America”* by Richard Rothstein. Take a look at the slide deck and replay recording!

Links that contributed to this talk:

1. Learning from Urban Redevelopment’s Failures to Build a More Inclusive DC
2. D.C. Looks To End 'Outdated' Urban Renewal Plans As Part Of Housing Development Strategy
3. Urban Renewal: The Story of Southwest D.C.
4. Examining the Black-white wealth gap

Point of view videos to assist with understanding: 

1. Talks to help you understand racism in America
2. The little problem I had renting a house
3. Apple TV movie "The Banker"
4. Maggie Anderson “My Black Year” Discussion on Black Economics

Books: 

1. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
2. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
3. How to Be an Antiracist  by Ibram X. Kendi
4. The Fight for Fair Housing by Gregory Squires’ 
5. The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

BONUS READING:  

1. Real Estate Agents Investigations
2. A New Show About Neighborhoods Facing Gentrification Offers a Cautionary Tale
3. How Real Estate Segregated America
4. A history of slavery cannot be ignored — even in real estate
5. Book Review: "Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership"
6. How slavery flourished in the United States
7. Urban Wire  Housing and Housing Finance
8. The New Deal as raw deal for blacks in segregated communities
9. Racial wealth inequality: Social problems and solutions
10. Testbed for the Redlining Archives of California's Exclusionary Spaces