When the issue of racial inequity burst to the fore of the real estate industry, the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® (BCAAR) faced it head-on. With support from the REALTOR® Party grant programs, its leadership and members have steadily addressed the challenges of housing discrimination and attainability in a progression of classes, events, and initiatives. In doing so, it has become a partner within the Battle Creek Coalition for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (BCTRHT), strongly supported by the Kellogg Foundation and working to uplift the entire community.
Amanda Lankerd, Association Executive of BCAAR, explains that in a city the size of Battle Creek, “We’re big enough to have big-city problems, but small enough to do something about it.” In pursuing the association’s goals of housing justice, she says, “Everything in the path leads us to another group of people to serve. And the REALTOR® Party’s resources have helped us every step of the way.”
In 2016, the association identified a need to educate its members about fair housing and housing attainability. It began with Fair Housing and Implicit Bias classes, and reinforced that learning by bringing Richard Rothstein to speak, an event that led to the establishment of BCAAR’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “We did get some pushback,” acknowledges Lankerd. “The history is painful and tended to open up some wounds. But, if we can’t work together to heal the wounds, we can’t move forward. And we are determined to move forward.”
In the following years, the BCAAR partnered with the BCTRHT, City of Battle Creek and other partners to develop a first-time homebuyer’s guide for Black and Brown aspiring homebuyers, which openly addresses the issue of discrimination in the real estate industry. “In the introduction, it explains how we got here, why we’re doing this, the background of racial discrimination in the industry, and how to recognize discrimination,” says Lankerd. “It also highlights the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, so new consumers will understand our commitment to fair housing.”
In 2023, a Housing Opportunity Grant from the REALTOR® Party enabled BCAAR to create a Spanish translation of the new guide, with new photography, for both print and online. “The information is the same, but we want the people we’re serving to recognize themselves in photos in our materials,” notes Lankerd. In conjunction with the guide, BCAAR has also developed a live Spanish-language homeownership workshop, which includes consecutive interpretation provided by one of its Hispanic REALTOR® members. An additional HOP grant is currently supporting the work of converting both guides to video. So far, at least five Latinx or African American families have purchased homes as a result of a BCAAR workshop.
In June of this year, as part of a larger housing justice project, the Battle Creek Association secured a Fair Housing Grant to bring authors Sheryll Cashin (White Space Black Hood) and Leah Rothstein (Just Action) to deliver insights from their books. A diverse group of over 150 attended the dinner and discussion at a church in a predominantly African American community, including REALTORS®, lending partners, affiliate members, the mayor, a state representative, residents, small business owners, representatives of housing organizations, and economic development professionals. The hosts partnered with a local bookstore to provide copies of the books to community members, and BCTRHT prepared a facilitator’s guide to help others conduct further discussions about the issues. Lankerd reports that the participants were deeply engaged by the material, and the evening generated high ‘let’s-roll-up-our-sleeves’ energy.
Looking ahead, BCAAR plans to collaborate with financial literacy organizations to offer homeownership workshop attendees additional training and resources in budgeting and credit repair. BCAAR also intends to partner with local employers to host on-site homeownership sessions, removing potential attendance barriers. Additionally, BCAAR has been asked to create a homeowner maintenance workshop aimed at empowering a growing Congolese refugee population. Many in this community have been purchasing homes at auctions and on the open market but may not be familiar with local building codes, which has led to occupancy challenges for these new residents.
To learn more about how Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® is working to repair racial inequities in the housing industry, contact Amanda Lankerd, Association Executive, at alankerd@bcaar.com or 269.962.5193.
To watch the full event featuring authors Leah Rothstein and Sheryll Cashin, view the recording at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=jE5cCAU6YreCS_L6&v=rAx-nw98O80&feature=youtu.be
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