Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is over, but the impact is not

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As Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to an end, it’s important to reflect on its importance. Since 1977, AANHPI Heritage Month has recognized the important role AANHPI plays in our shared history and culture.

For the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AAREAA), this AANHPI Month is more than just an anniversary; it’s a reminder that AANHPI individuals face ongoing challenges in accessing homeownership and we still have much work to do.

Just minutes into AREAA’s annual Diversity and Fair Housing Summit on May 6, I am honored to announce that we, along with several other organizations, have filed a fair housing discrimination lawsuit in Miami federal court challenging Florida’s SB 264. The state’s laws strictly restrict people from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria from buying real estate in the state. The law almost completely prohibits Chinese citizens and people living in China from purchasing property in the state.

This is an important moment for AREAA and our 19,000 members as this is the first time in 20 years that we have filed a lawsuit to protect the rights of the AANHPI community.

How SB 264 opens the door to discrimination

We believe SB 264 must be defeated, as Florida legislators and Governor DeSantis wrongly target Chinese and other specific immigrant groups. They open the door to greater discrimination while raising the barrier to entry for potential AANHPI homebuyers and sellers.

My parents came to the United States from China as doctoral students, and they eventually bought a house in Irvine, California. I shudder to think about what my parents would be going through today if they had settled in Florida. It’s outrageous that we now live in a reality where government leaders are making homeownership impossible for AANHPI people in Florida.

While we have joined the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the Housing Opportunity Excellence Project, and the Fair Housing Center of Greater Palm Beach in the Florida lawsuit, we are painfully aware that there are copycat bills out there. In fact, there are 78 discriminatory bills at the state level Direct threat to AANHPI homeownership.

AREAA’s three-point plan to minimize housing disparities and discrimination

This outrage ignites the flames of AREAA and fuels our determination to stop these unfair laws. We used the month of May to fight back by launching a three-point plan dedicated to minimizing the housing disparities and discrimination faced by AANHPI people. This includes our recent trip to Capitol Hill, where we met with hundreds of congressional leaders and their staff and shared our plans:

• Oppose current anti-AANHPI rhetoric and support the Real Property Discrimination Preemption Act (HR3697), which preempts any state law that prohibits or restricts individuals from purchasing real property based on citizenship status at the state level to further safeguards against anti-Asian land laws .
• To meet the growing need among low- and moderate-income AANHPI homeowners for solutions that allow them to afford multigenerational housing, AREAA is actively advancing legislation that would expand financing and provide more affordable solutions for all types of homeowners.
• AREAA also addresses inequalities in real estate valuations between communities of different racial groups. This is particularly important because intergenerational wealth transfers are important for funding the education and home ownership of future generations. Data shows that bias in assessments may deny certain minority groups this opportunity. To address this issue, AREAA is lobbying Congress to consider bills that would reduce bias within the assessment industry.

It’s exciting to see over 300 AREAA members demonstrate a strong desire to make a difference. It truly warms my heart to see our community so excited and eager to make a difference in fair housing and affordability.

I strongly encourage the real estate industry to participate in AREAA’s path to equal homeownership. Whether you are Asian or not, you can become a member and you can learn with us, meet new people, and play a key role in ensuring equal access to homeownership for so many wonderful and hard-working citizens.