June 8, 2020
Subject: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln
Dear Bloomington-Normal Association of REALTORS® Members:
The Bloomington-Normal Association of REALTORS® (BNAR) board of directors acknowledges the events from the past weeks, brought on by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We understand these events have affected us in our own community and we want to be part of the solution to bring people together.
The local, state, and national REALTOR® family are champions for all. As Illinois REALTORS® President, Ed Neaves stated; “We recognize the long-standing injustices suffered by many among us, which we now see in our communities painfully calling out for substantive change.” We appreciate those standing positively for change and the efforts by our first responders who are managing not only a worldwide pandemic, but the after-effects of aggression and trauma.
Your association cares about each one of you. We are here to listen to, learn from, and grow with you. We have determined one of the ways we can assist is by creating a diversity task force. We are looking to our members to help us ensure we are considering the needs of all our members. We understand we don’t know, what we don’t know. So, we are asking our members who want to share their different perspectives, knowledge, and ideas in a productive and positive manner to join our task force. Please contact Diane Cote, CEO at [email protected] if you would like to be part of the diversity task force.
REALTORS® are champions of fair housing and private property rights. BNAR is a champion of equality and inclusion for all. We are dedicated to working collectively to foster communities where every person can live, work, and play equally.
Together we are better.
Sincerely,
Penny Wilson, BNAR President