Marie Schutt is the managing editor of Chicago Agent

The story of race in Chicagoland housing is a troubling one that continues to challenge the real estate community.

The exact terms for what minorities have been subjected to in the last century – targeted violence, redlining, segregation, subprime loans, block busting and restrictive covenants, just to name a few – are ugly and difficult, but their enduring effects still permeate our neighborhoods. As professionals bound by a strict code of ethics, agents and lenders must be aware of those effects, and work to make residential real estate a more fair and diverse industry. All of us must have a full understanding of the forces that continue to carve out the social and geographical boundaries earning Chicagoland headlines like Crain’s recent article, “Chicago is Getting Less Segregated, Right? Wrong.”

For this issue, we took a deeper look at the many forces that shaped the segregation of Chicagoland neighborhoods and then sought local perspectives at every level – agents, associations, lenders and academics – to discuss solutions in the present day. What do you think is part of the solution? We want to hear from you. Email me at marie@agentpublishing.com.