president's Message
It is truly an honor to serve as president of Realtist Association of Delaware (RADE). I stand on the shoulders of Nannie Black, the one woman among 12 pioneering real estate professionals who formed National Association of Real Estate Brokers,(NAREB) in 1947, and Laura Blenman, the first President of the Delaware Chapter in 1998.
RADE is a local chapter of NAREB.
NAREB was founded by 11 men and 1 woman from around the country that met up in Tampa, FL. NAREB was founded as an equal opportunity and civil rights advocacy organization for African American Real Estate Professionals, consumers, and communities in America with the vision of “Democracy in Housing.”
African Americans were not allowed to be a part of The National Association of Realtors (NAR), so they formed their own real estate association which happens to be oldest minority professional trade association in America. They fought to have the same rights as Realtors which gave them access to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS). Once you become a member of NAREB, you now have the designation of Realtist.
RADE's vision is to build economic stability in minority communities by creating legacies of homeownership as a standard way of living.
Legacy starts with us. It starts in the mind that we own, and the houses that we desir.
RADE will continue in our mission to not only reach but inform our communities about the value and benefit of homeownership. We’ll remain steadfast in engaging, empowering and supporting Real Estate Professionals; increasing the homeownership rate; and championing values-aligned public policy initiatives and legislation. Amid a pandemic and changing global landscape, our work is perhaps just as important as it was in the post-war and civil rights era.
We still find our community in conditions and mindsets that we can no longer tolerate or afford.
RADE will facilitate change by taking four actions: conduct, connect, collaborate, and carry.
1. Conduct workshops that provide a blueprint for success in homeownership--be it to buy a home or build wealth.
2. Connect real estate professionals and educate them on improving their business, protecting their wealth, and strengthening their professional development.
3. Collaborate in the community via relationships with school districts and higher education institutions to ensure students can explore real estate professions and the benefits of entrepreneurship.
4. Carry the torch of democracy in housing via an ambassador group for homeowners to be better educated and encouraged.
There is so much that is working against us--especially the documented discrimination tied to appraisals and the homeownership rate. It’s no secret that our property values tend to be worth less than our counterparts and the homeownership rate is certainly lower. The national average for Black homeownership is 43.1% as opposed to 74.4% for non-Hispanic whites. This gap can longer go unbridged.
The SHIBA Report was established in 2013. It is a comprehensive report that gives us information on where we stand in homeownership. It documents the disparities, analyzes the results, and recommends solutions that will support the growth of black homeownership.
There’s a lot of work that lies ahead of RADE and NAREB, but there is so much history and proof of the difference that we are, and can be. As the president of the Realtist Association of Delaware, I am committed to ensuring we remain an association that is proud of our past, relentless in our struggle, and 100% dedicated to the REALTIST® creed of Democracy in Housing. I look forward to the work and progress that we will accomplish.
May we educate, motivate, and advocate for a better future, together.
Thank You