NEW ORLEANS – The 2025 National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) Black Homeownership Summit will be held in New Orleans, Nov. 13-14 at Dillard University.
The two-day summit will bring together Realtists (the official title for NAREB members), partners, financial institutions, educators, policymakers, and community leaders from across the nation to advance a shared mission of expanding Black wealth through real estate ownership.
Founded in 1947, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers advocates for “democracy in housing,” representing more than 100 local boards in 38 states. Its members, known as Realtists, work together across professions such as appraising, development, mortgage lending, and housing counseling to make homeownership affordable, sustainable, and attainable for more Americans.
Expanding Black Wealth Through Real Estate
According to the most recent full-year data available, the homeownership rate for Black households stood at about 44.7 percent in 2023, compared with roughly 72.4 percent for white households, a gap of nearly 28 percentage points. The 2024 State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) Report, which will be released during the summit under the leadership of NAREB National President Ashley Thomas III, will include updated data and deeper analysis of these trends.
The median net worth of Black families remains dramatically lower at about $44,100 compared with $282,310 for white families, a figure that highlights how homeownership, or the lack of it, is tied directly to wealth accumulation.
In many major metros, Black households make up over 14 percent of the population but own only about 10.5 percent of owner-occupied homes, showing that Black families hold a smaller share of homes and the wealth they represent.
Turning Data Into Action
This year’s theme revolves around empowerment, education, and opportunity, moving beyond discussion to actionable strategies that strengthen families, rebuild neighborhoods, and close the racial wealth gap. The release of the new State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) Report will serve as a catalyst for advocacy and policy change under the leadership of National President Ashley Thomas III.
“Homeownership opens more than a door. It opens the pathway to wealth that lasts for generations,” said Ashley Thomas III, national president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. The summit seeks to empower, engage, equip, and energize, while also providing “How to Become” hands-on exposure to diverse professions within the real estate and financial services industries. This is more than a conference, it is a movement to close the gap and build generational wealth through advocacy, affordability, and access.
Through initiatives such as its Five Pillars program, NAREB addresses key barriers to Black homeownership by focusing on faith-based and community engagement, small-business development, multigenerational wealth, government relations, and the empowerment of women and men investing in real estate. The organization’s long-standing commitment to fair housing dates back to 1968, when NAREB leaders helped advocate for and implement the Fair Housing Act signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
Empowerment, Education, and Opportunity in New Orleans
The 2025 summit aims to move beyond talk by offering “How to Become” hands-on sessions — a recognition that ownership is only one part of the wealth-building ecosystem. With ownership rates still well below parity and structural barriers persisting, the theme of empowerment, education and opportunity is especially urgent in a city like New Orleans where stabilising neighborhoods and building generational wealth are ongoing ambitions.
Registration and program details are available at www.nareb.com.
About NAREB and Its Local Chapter
Founded in 1947, NAREB stands as the oldest minority professional trade association in the United States. Our inception was driven by the need for equal housing opportunities for all, regardless of race, creed, or color. Over the decades, we have actively engaged in critical advocacy and legislative efforts to promote fair housing and challenge systemic barriers.
NAREB members adhere to a strict code of ethics and are required to meet professional certification standards designed to promote integrity and accountability within the industry.
NOREBA is the New Orleans Board of NAREB. Learn more at www.nareb.com.
