The celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the unique histories, cultures, languages, and traditions of the many ethnic communities who contribute to our nation’s collective experience. It is also a time to reflect on how we can continue to create an inclusive society that celebrates diversity and respects every individual’s worth and dignity.

Listen to an episode of NAR’s podcast featuring Realtors who identify with underrepresented minorities. 

Featuring Tim Hur: Hur is the first openly LGBTQ president of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), the largest AAPI trade association in the U.S. A national speaker, Hur was NAR’s 2018 chair of the Diversity Committee and served on the association’s task force that year to promote and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. He was appointed by NAR presidents in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to be their liaison for South Korea.

Fair Housing: Who's Being Left Out of the Conversation? (nar.realtor)

Recent proposals in some US states to limit Asian citizens' ability to own land have sparked discussions and criticisms of their discriminatory nature. The Texas proposal, in particular, seeks to prohibit citizens of countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from owning any land. The legislation would also seemingly extend to legal immigrants living in the United States.

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to sign legislation to ban citizens of countries the State Department has designated as “foreign adversaries” from owning agricultural land. Companies with deep ties to those countries would also be affected. Those countries currently include China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. There are similar proposals in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Foreign owners control a fraction of US farmland, according to the Congressional Research Service.