Black homeownership

At the age of 24, I purchased my first home. It was a bittersweet milestone that made my mom incredibly proud. In a twist of fate, the closing date was set for the same day she passed away.

The road to homeownership has historically been challenging for Black and brown people. Now, weather-related natural disasters threaten to put further strain on homeowners, according to a 2024 report by the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.

Richard Lewis Taylor is a longtime summer resident of Martha’s Vineyard. In 1979, he and his family purchased a cottage in Oak Bluffs, one of the island’s six towns, after several Roxbury families introduced the island to him, he said.