National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. 9831 Greenbelt Road - Suite 309 | Lanham, MD 20706

March 18th, 2021

The Honorable The Honorable Governor Lt. Governor State of State of Alabama 600 Dexter Avenue 11 South Union Street Suite 725 Montgomery, AL 36130 Montgomery, AL 36130

The Honorable Greg Reed The Honorable Mac McCutcheon Senate Pro Tempore Speaker of the House Alabama State Senate Alabama House of Representatives 11 South Union Street Suite 726 11 South Union Street Suite 519 I Montgomery, AL 36130 Montgomery, AL 36130

RE: Removal of Black Commissioner on Alabama Real Estate Commission Greetings,

We write to you on behalf of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), the country’s oldest association for Black Real Estate Professionals. Since 1947, we have been advocating on behalf of Black families by challenging discriminatory practices in the housing and lending markets and defending against systemically racist actions that have caused irreparable damage to our communities. Our mission, to fight for “Democracy in Housing”, has been predicated on our ability to identify these injustices done to our community and our capacity to speak truth to power. In that tradition of advocacy, we at NAREB are extremely concerned about the recent introduction of Alabama SR Bill 331 in the Alabama State Senate that included revisions that, if passed, would remove the Governor’s appointment of a Black member to the Alabama Real Estate Commission. When this seat was created in the 1980’s, it was meant to atone for the hundreds of years of economic repression that was established by a system intentionally created to not give Black people the opportunity to provide generational wealth for their families. If this new provision is passed it will not only undermine the progress, we as a country, have made over the last 40 years, but it is also a slap in the face to those Black Alabamians who were eyewitnesses to a time when their involvement in the real estate industry was actively prohibited. We at NAREB welcome diversity to the Real Estate Commission. There is definite benefit to bringing many different perspectives and walks of life to a commission that can have a heavy influence on so many communities across the state. However, due to the historical impact that

National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. 9831 Greenbelt Road - Suite 309 | Lanham, MD 20706

discriminatory actions have had on our neighborhoods, we do not accept the removal of a Black commissioner and implore that the Alabama State Legislature rejects this change as well. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this issue and look forward to working with your on creating a fair and equitable real estate market for everyone.

Sincerely,

Lydia Pope Michele Calloway Antoine M. Thompson Lydia Pope Michele Calloway Antoine M. Thompson National President-elect Chair, Board of Directors National Executive Director

Bill Collins Marcus Brown Therita Lawler Bill Collins Marcus Brown Therita Lawler Chair, Public Affairs Committee Vice President President NAREB Region VI Alabama Association of Real Estate Brokers

James Privette James Privette Policy & Advocacy Coordinator

National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. 9831 Greenbelt Road - Suite 309 | Lanham, MD 20706

CC: The Honorable Nathaniel Ledbetter The Honorable Anthony Daniels, Majority Leader Minority Leader Alabama House of Representatives Alabama House of Representatives 11 South Union Street Suite 401 G 11 South Union Street Suite 428 Montgomery, AL 36130 Montgomery, AL 36130

The Honorable , The Honorable Majority Leader Minority Leader Alabama State Senate Alabama State Senate 11 Union Street Suite 731 11 Union Street Suite 740 Montgomery, AL 36130 Montgomery, AL 36130