This isn’t a joke. It really feels like that. After (how long has it been a decade? Okay not that long) a long time of visiting apartments and being turned away ENTIRELY based off of race, today I found a realtor who is a POC.
She knew immediately the discrimination I’d been through. I didn’t have to tell her. She saw it in my face, heard it in my voice, and she told me without me saying a word.
“You’ve been put through the ringer. A lot of discrimination right? Out and out racism too?”
I nodded silently trying not to cry because I really don’t want to give those people too many of my tears.
”Where have you been looking for a place?” she asked.
I told her the areas and she said “Yeah, yeah that’s a big part of being a minority on Long Island.”
She then took me to two places. Both clean, both close to work, & both absolutely lovely places that I could afford. The landlords were welcoming and didn’t give one good damn about my race.
At the end….she hugged me. I hugged her. I’m not a hugger unless I know you well but she knew me and that was enough.
And so it would appear my search for a new home on Long Island is over. Fingers crossed, prayers whispered, stars wished on…
And so if you are in Long Island, New York and you need an apartment broker please let me know and I’ll give you her name. She only works on referrals but damn she works.
Now about this whole mess….it’s been heartbreaking. Enough to close a heart. But in the end there was caring and that is more than enough to open it again. So racism will continue to exist on long island and there isn’t anything I can do about it. But good people will continue to exist too.