Black realtors succeed in Boston despite bigotry
The house is a choice piece of property — big and newly renovated and at a great price.
Within days of listing it, real estate broker Charles George was fielding calls from potential buyers eager to meet with him. But he’s gotten quite a different response from those who already live on the street. When he greets them, there’s no response. “They almost specifically avoid making eye contact,’’ said George. “I’ve been here enough in the past few weeks where you’d think they’d become familiar with me.’’
After 17 years selling real estate, he’s used to it. “A lot of that is just being up North,’’ said George, who was raised in Alabama. “And a lot of it is … just being a black man.’’
Similar stuff happened to George in his previous career as a software engineer. But at least nobody ever called the police on him. That’s happened twice in his real estate career, while he was showing houses in Milton and Easton.
Yet George’s story isn’t about the persistence of racism. It’s mainly about the persistence of George, and the fact that he’s prospered in real estate despite the lingering effects of racial prejudice. The same can be said for many black real estate professionals in Greater Boston. Discrimination, exclusion, and casual bigotry are facts of life for them, but so is success.
To be sure, the price of success is higher for African-Americans, who must cope with persistent doubts about their competence.
“Sometimes you can tell right off the bat that the color thing is … I don’t want to say a barrier, but an unknown thing that makes the client uncomfortable,’’ said Zouk Mo, an agent with Keller Williams Realty in Boston.
I’m proud to call Zouk Mo a friend.