(OPINION) ETH – Jackie Berry — a listing agent for Edina Realty in Minnesota who teaches a racism and real estate continuing education class — told the Star Tribune the term “master bedroom” hasn’t exactly sat well with her.
According to TheBlaze, “There’s a hidden discriminatory piece that falls when you say ‘master’ bedroom,” she told the paper. “I’m a person of color and every time the term ‘master bedroom’ was used, I kept saying to myself, ‘I don’t like how it sounds.’ Now as I’m walking through a property, I’ll just say it’s the owners’ or primary suite,” Berry added to the Star Tribune.
The paper said that numerous real estate agents and agencies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have been phasing out the word “master” in recent years due to its connections to slavery. But in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police last year, the effort to change the industry’s vocabulary picked up steam, the Star Tribune reported.
The Star Tribune stated that in recent years, several Twin Cities area listing agents and real estate companies have been phasing out the word “master” because of its association with slavery. But after the May 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, the name change gained momentum not only in Minnesota but around the country.
“It’s something that has come up more and more the past few months,” Berry said. “There’s been an increased awareness and wokeness since George Floyd’s murder. We’re seeing racial justice work being put into play.”
In June 2020, the Houston Association of Realtors started to use the word “primary” in place of “master” when referring to bedrooms and bathrooms on its listing service. Since then, other groups such as the Real Estate Board of New York have committed to reviewing whether the term “master” should be removed from its residential listings, as well.
