9 September A Day of PRIDE! by Jacky Mueck DEI, Events 0 0 Comment 236 By Dyana Quinzi Administrative Assistant at Maryland REALTORS® PRIDE can mean many things to many people. For our members, PRIDE is about community, equality, fair and ethical treatment of clients, and of course…ice cream. The hot summer didn’t stand a chance this past June when it came to our third annual “Pride in Practice” event. Members of our DEI committee hosted a thought-provoking and informative experience at an engaging venue: The American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore. The morning opened with an interactive Town Hall Experience. Each table of participants was given real-life situations that real estate and lending professionals have experienced and were asked the question, “What would you do?” From blatant prejudice to more nuanced lender issues, participants trekked through some difficult circumstances to decipher what steps should be taken to protect clients when faced with discriminatory practices. Maryland REALTORS® CEO Chuck Kasky, National Association of REALTORS® Senior Policy Representative Colette Massengale, and Richard Green, Branch Manager and Vice President of Presidential Bank Mortgage lent their expertise and knowledge to guide participants in the best way to address these practices in the future. Event Emcee and DEI Committee chairperson Wayne Curtis, a veteran champion for equality, has always recognized the need for education and outreach when it comes to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community: “Our Pride in Practice event for 2024 continued building this annual gathering as an important opportunity for Maryland REALTORS® to support publicly the community of REALTORS® who identify as LGBTQ+, to educate and further open the minds of REALTORS® whose presence indicates they are already open to this community of professionals, to show us how to handle incidents of prejudice and discrimination we might encounter in our practice and in our daily lives, whether based on perceived sexual preference, gender identity, race, religion, or ethnicity, and give us options on how to handle them.” The afternoon held an offering of Fair Housing: Bias Override class with instructors Brenda Kasuva and Colette Massengale. This interactive class offered Fair Housing CE credit to participants, with great information about how the human brain teaches itself shortcuts that can lead to biases that you may not even be aware of. This popular course helps individuals face their unknown biases and overcome them to better serve their clients and their community. After the education portion of the day ended, the cherry on top of the day was an ice cream social where members were able to network and unwind after a fast paced, fun-filled day of instruction, food, and community. AS24, Bias Override, Pride, PRIDE In Practice Share Comments are closed.