BERLIN – In recognition of April being Fair Housing Month, the Coastal Association of REALTORS® (CAR) has announced Lindsay Birkhead-Morton of Snow Hill Middle School as a statewide winner in the annual Maryland Association of REALTORS® (MAR) Fair Housing Calendar Contest.
Birkhead-Morton was one of three local contest finalists. The other two were Ayati Sangwan of North Salisbury Elementary School and LaNazia Goeins of Princess Anne Elementary School. Each received a Visa gift card from CAR and their submissions were forwarded to MAR for statewide judging.
Submissions from all over Maryland were judged on March 8 by MAR’s Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee. In total, MAR chose 15 winners to be featured in its 2017 Fair Housing Calendar, which is distributed statewide.
Birkhead-Morton has been invited to the State House in Annapolis for an April 19, special recognition ceremony with Ken Holt, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Representatives from CAR will accompany her to the ceremony.
“We are so proud of Lindsay’s accomplishment and grateful for her participation in the contest,” said CAR President Linda Moran. “Fair Housing is inarguably a crucial issue in our line of business and we are more than happy to do whatever we can to raise awareness locally and across our great state.”
Artwork submitted by students had to illustrate this year’s theme, “Dreams come true with fair housing.”
The 1968 Fair Housing Act prohibited housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. Every April, REALTORS® celebrate Fair Housing Month to reaffirm their continued commitment to fair and equitable treatment and a professional level of service for all in their search for real property.
To ensure compliance with Fair Housing law, REALTORS® must follow strict guidelines, which frequently change. In Maryland, residential salespersons and brokers are required to have 1.5 hours of continuing education covering fair housing laws during every two-year renewal. CAR offers Fair Housing courses at its Berlin facility.
For more information, visit www.coastalrealtors.org.