Real (Estate) Talk: How one firm is making Dr. King’s dream a reality
An excerpt from the book, How to Be an Anti-Racist Real Estate Pro and as featured in Inman News.
But the problem is if there is only one slice for two hungry adults, either someone will go without or both people will still be hungry if they share it (unless, perhaps, it is a giant New York slice).
This may be how some of us view justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (J.E.D.I.) -- as a zero-sum game where there is only one piece of a pizza pie that either we have to share (leaving neither of us satisfied) or one of us goes without enjoying (allowing only one at a time to be satisfied).
It's the Seven-Layer Salad for Me
But as much as I love pizza pies, there is a more comparable metaphor for J.E.D.I. I believe J.E.D.I. is more like having a delightfully layered, cornucopia salad*. Just one or two ingredients in a salad can be dreadfully boring although it may get the job done of quenching our hunger. But we can up our satiety with more ingredients where a side salad can actually become a sought-after entree (looking at you, Auntie, and your seven-layer salad, yum!).
J.E.D.I. is the filling dish to greater satisfaction for all. Modern research confirms diversity promotes and correlates with business success rather than scarcity. And, one real estate company is pushing to make this a reality through its mentorship program.
Within the last year and in light of the tragic murder of George Floyd, Dream Town Realty started the InspiRE (see what they did there with the 'RE', giving a nod to real estate?) mentorship program. Conceptualized and developed by Dream Town Realty's founder and CEO, Yuval Degani, the InspiRE mentorship program mentors aspiring real estate pros from underrepresented communities. By the way, 86% of REALTORS® are white despite people of color winning access to the organization during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s after decades of explicit exclusion and segregation.
J.E.D.I. doesn't say, "Let's have a battle royale for a limited number of slots to be REALTORS®" like the pizza pie analogy would require. Instead, J.E.D.I. says, "The more the merrier! And, because these underrepresented groups (there is only 14% BIPOC) may not have REALTORS® naturally proximate to them to help them learn the ropes, let's add to the salad ingredients that replace what has been missing". In essence, there is no subtraction or division but rather a duplication.
At Dream Town Realty, the admitted mentees are paired with seasoned RE brokers and the mentees' fees for both pre-license education and the state exam in Illinois are covered through the program. Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming... oh wait, maybe that is why it is called Dream Town Realty.
Equitable Access and Opportunity
April is Fair Housing Month. In light of the anniversary of the original Fair Housing Act being enacted, which was spurred by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, I am reminded of Dr. King's words, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” These words do not signify a quest for a colorblind society, where the inequities caused by racism are ignored, minimized, silenced, and dismissed. That has been a false interpretation and misapplication of this famous speech. Instead, these words -- as evidenced by the context of Dr. King's life -- call for a society where opportunity and access are granted to all races even those among the margins.
Dream Town Realty is making Dr. King's dream a reality. Interested in how your firm can do something similar or if perhaps you should apply for this mentorship? Check out my chat with the Dream Town Realty InspiRE mentorship program team:
Who's Who in the video:
+ Founder & CEO, Dream Town Realty -- Yuval Degani
+ VP of Administration & Human Resources -- Claire Reinhart
+ Dream Town's InspiRE mentorship 2021 program cohort participant -- Kyle Barbour
+ Dream Town's InspiRE mentorship 2020 inaugural class graduates -- Danny Torres and Milly Ortiz
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| Milly Ortiz of Dream Town Realty with her mentor (taken during her training). |
Program Highlights:
The Dream Town Realty InspiRE mentorship program is a 6-week commitment for 6–8 hours per week. Dream Town will pay for the state licensing exam fees, and the 15-hour pre-license course will be provided through the Real Estate Institute. Dream Town will provide training for mentees, explaining processes and crucial administrative functions. Mentees will shadow their mentor across all business functions—showings, client meetings, marketing meetings, and more. Mentees will gain hands-on experience with behind the scenes tasks, such as entering new listings and creating marketing collateral.
Applications are always open on a rolling basis for the Dream Town Realty InspiRE mentorship program. Apply at www.DreamTown.com/mentorship.
Want a 2021 primer into race and real estate in the U.S.? Grab the complimentary ebook, How to Be an Anti-Racist Real Estate Pro (click here).
Want more of the best practices of our nation's top producers? Grab your copy of the short read, Profit with Your Personality and, the classic, 5-star rated workbook, Plan to Win, to transform their real estate sales game plan. Or, get your "training on" with these on-demand classes. Here's to your success! #LearnWithDrLee
