Adam had to do something he didn’t want to do today. He had to be the ‘face’ of our marriage.

Today we had an appointment for a house appraisal. Early on in our relationship — we made a deal. In matters concerning loans, insurance, and money — Adam was the face of the relationship.

That means if we ever have to meet with anyone face to face — it’s his job to do it. I still do all non face to face contact.

The reason: studies show, that even in this day and age, African-Americans with the same credit as whites are denied loans in greater numbers or alternatively pay higher interest rates. Further, we get redlined when it comes to insurance coverage. See Risk or Race, CommunityChange.org.

So in our ever aggressive bid to leverage our California real estate — we had a house appraisal today. As usual, we’re pushing for a very agressive valuation. The house is immaculate, the renovations complete, all we need is the bank to sign-off.

So, last night Adam began studying up on the features of our house and neighborhood. He hates it. Last night, after seven years of marriage, he finally broke down. “This would be so much easier if you were white,” he said. Yes it would, but I live in the America of Regan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush. The legacy of their policies has not changed the core fact that when African-Americans are involved — values are lower.

So I took the crazy dogs on a car ride through L.A. and Adam showed the house. When I returned, he assured me that he had mentioned the Spanish Colonial nature of the hosue, the hardwood floors, and the fact that DataQuick had noted that homes in our zip code had appreciated over 69% in the last year. He said that he felt like he was working. I’d feel sorry for him, but whenever he shows up to banks, brokers, or insurance companies — we always get the best rates — so why buck that system?

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