Imagine inheriting a beautiful house — that’s falling apart inside. It has ruptures and diagonal cracks, groaning floors and rotting wood. It’s up to you to fix it, though. This idea was the crux of the opening presentation at Chicago Association of REALTORS®’ (CAR) 360° Summit. The annual diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) event was held on June 22 at Venue West.

Matt Difanis, broker and over of RE/MAX Realty Associates, quoted the broken house metaphor from “Caste: The Origin of our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson as part of a wide-ranging speech that traced the racial gap in homeownership from its redlining roots up through today’s disparity.

Difanis acknowledged the role that Realtors have played in housing discrimination and highlighted ways that Realtors — white Realtors, in particular — can step up now to become allies. “We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it … And any further deterioration is, in fact, on our hands,” he said, quoting Wilkerson.

And although the conversation surrounding DEI began on-stage, it continued naturally in the crowd. After lunch, one group of panelists took that notion literally. “A Brace Space,” as their talk was aptly called, featured anonymously submitted questions with frank answers from a panel of experts: Dani Dominguez, a DEI consultant with Single Story; Kathy J. Kwak, COO of Proper Title; and Kandyce St. Clair, CAR’s VP of external affairs; moderated by Ryan Davis, director of engagement, diversity and inclusion for the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

Rather than deliberate on stage, the speakers moved directly into the center of the audience, creating physical space for an open dialogue. 

Melissa Donaldson, Kandyce St. Clair, Dani Dominguez, Kathy J. Kwak

“There’s the fear of messing up, the fear of looking bad and not knowing what to say that stops people from trying to even engage in the first place,” Dominguez said at one point, referring to using preferred pronouns. “But for me, the thing that I’d much rather see is someone trying.”

Though informal, the group’s answers were deeply informative, intertwining multiple perspectives. Other attendees also stepped up to participate on the mic. In fact, the various responses were so detailed that the panel only made it through two questions during the 45-minute segment. “Understand that this is just the start of a conversation that needs to continue,” Davis said.

Michelle Mills Clement

“A Brave Space” felt like a fitting centerpiece to a jam-packed day full of presentations on a range of inclusive topics. Other panelists included Scott Reuter, single-family chief appraiser and director of valuation for Freddie Mac; Diane M. Shelley, Midwest Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Alexia Smokler, director of fair housing policy and programs for NAR.

In conversation with CAR Director Lutalo McGee, they discussed discrimination and bias in appraisals and potential solutions, including normalizing lenders asking for reconsiderations of value.

T. Dallas Smith, founder and CEO of the commercial firm T. Dallas Smith and Company, also appeared for a one-on-one interview with CAR President Sarah Ware. Smith discussed his recent book, “In the Black: Changing the Dominant Narrative in the Commercial Real Estate Industry,” highlighting how he’s found success as a Black man and advocating for others to champion their minority peers in real estate.

Following Smith’s interview, Texas Realtor Jamie Zapata closed out the event in an emotional address. Zapata, a transgender Realtor, shared her personal journey from experiencing harrowing bullying to self-destructive tendencies to, finally, finding hope in the real estate industry. Candidly, she reflected on the many years it took for her to feel included in a professional field.

For Zapata, that moment came when her boss at Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper expressed to her that she truly belonged at work. She did not need to hide any aspect of her identity anymore, or her work with the LGBTQ+ community. She did not need to, as Zapata put it, “walk on eggshells” once her boss expressed to her: “Honey, you’re not just included, you’re welcome.’” Zapata said, “It can make the difference between life and death.”