Oct. 3, 2016
By Harry Colbert, Jr.
Managing Editor
Many see home ownership as a path to wealth building for the person buying the home, just as it can be a clear path to wealth for the seller.
The buying and selling of real estate is also a path to wealth for the agents who broker the deals. And in Minnesota, typically those agents are overwhelmingly white and male. But a few of the exceptions to the rule got together in a show of solidarity to say they are not background players. With the photo, 12 African-American female real estate agents have given notice to the changing face (or faces) of real estate buying and selling in Minnesota.
Photographer Chris McDuffie was summoned to focus his lens on the 12 agents after the call went out from Julia Israel of Keller Williams Integrity Realty. Israel said the idea for the photoshoot was to promote an often overlooked face in Minnesota real estate.
“We wanted to show that there’s diversity and bring exposure to Black realtors and real estate agents,” said Israel. “Being Black and female in this industry there are many barriers that we’ve encountered and we overcame them.”
With a growing number of transplants being of color, Israel is hoping they will seek to do business with some of the African-American agents in the market. But Israel also hopes the photo will put the women in the forefront of minds of non-African-American buyers and sellers.
“We sell houses and properties in all the communities … the south suburbs, the east suburbs; we sell commercial,” said Israel, a 16-year agent. “But with this photo we also want ‘us’ to see ‘us.’ Before you heard things like Black people don’t want to do business with Black people, but that’s changing and people are now seeking out Black professionals.”
“I think this photo is showing Minnesota that Black women are professional, and together, and we help and support each other,” said Richelle Taylor of Keller Williams Classic Realty. “I hope people see in us in strength and solidarity; we’re more than stereotypes, we’re professionals.”
Both Israel and Taylor say though each woman in the photo may work for different companies and though some are competing for the same buyers and sellers, they felt it was important to show the group not as competitors, but each as adding value to one another.
“We’re all entrepreneurs, we’re all home owners and I wanted to make sure we all get exposure,” said Israel.
