Edward Brooke’s Legacy: Fair Housing for All

It was Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, at 7:48 a.m. in Honolulu, Hawaii, when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise military strike on the Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The attack killed 2,403 people, wounded 1,178 and destroyed 188 U.S. aircrafts. Within 24 hours, it also compelled the United States to formally enter World War II.

After hearing the news, 22-year-old Edward William Brooke III, who had just graduated from Howard University with a degree in sociology, took immediate action and enlisted in the United States Army. He was hurled into what has been described as the biggest, deadliest, bloodiest war in history.

Following five years of serving his country, seeing combat as a member of the all-Black 366th Infantry Regiment, and earning a Bronze Star Medal, Brooke returned home to Washington, D.C. He married his first wife in 1947 and welcomed two children. Then he began looking for a home for his growing family.

And that’s when the decorated veteran, who fought so arduously for his country, experienced firsthand the discrimination the Black community faced when it came to purchasing real estate.

Leading the fight for fair housing

This metaphorical slap in the face would eventually help inspire his legacy – and help millions of Americans in the fight for equal treatment. After forging a legal and political career in Massachusetts and serving as the state’s first African American attorney general, Brooke next became the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote.

During his time in Senate, Brooke developed a deep passion for addressing housing issues. In collaboration with Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale, he co-sponsored the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability.

The bill passed on April 10, 1968 – six days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The work continues today

Now, even half a century after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, minority homeownership rates continue to trail white homeownership in America. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2019 the homeownership rates were 42.1% for Black, 47.5 percent for Latinx and 73.4 for White households. And yet, according to research by Freddie Mac and reported in the State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) Report, nearly 3 million Black Americans who meet the criteria to qualify for a mortgage do not have one. With greater support and financial education, these “mortgage ready individuals” could play an important role in closing the racial gap in homeownership.

Organizations like the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) work tirelessly to ensure the dream of homeownership is achievable by all.

“Our mission is democracy and housing and making sure that we continue to open the doors to others when it comes to housing,” NAREB President-Elect Lydia Pope told RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos during an upcoming episode of his Start With a Win podcast. “The focus of NAREB is about equal housing opportunity, civil rights advocacy and making sure that we protect consumers in our community.”

Empowerment through education

Pope says several factors contribute to the disparity in minority housing, including restrictive underwriting, low affordability, appraisal disparities and difficulty accessing down payment assistance.

Solving these challenges begins with education.

“Our goal is to to educate our members so they can speak to Black homeownership, [increase] the knowledge and expertise and [make] sure that our community understands,” Pope says. “We’re providing our members not just conversation, but solutions to a lot of these challenges.”

In addition to its programming for real estate professionals, NAREB offers a series of workshops and webinars to educate its audience on the steps to sustainable homeownership. Just as important, the organization empowers those individuals to become advocates for change in their own communities.

“Our goal is to educate our members so they can speak to others,” Pope says. “See, it doesn’t matter what happens at the top. What’s important is how you bring it down to the grassroots of your membership and how they articulate and provide that service to where they live, where they work, where they do their business.”

Real estate agents can download NAREB’s SHIBA Report to learn more about the issues impeding Black homeownership and how they can help bring solutions to overcome these existing barriers.

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