Dr. Raven Baxter, a molecular biologist and science communicator, fell in love with a Virginia Beach condo with a direct view of the Atlantic Ocean. The home had everything she desired, and Baxter made an offer with a down payment to finalize the agreement. However, one night, her broker called with disheartening news, potentially shattering her dreams of becoming a homeowner.
The New York Times reported that Baxter’s broker, Bill Loftis, told her that the owner, Jane Walker, 84, who is white, refused to sell her the $749,000 home over racially biased reasons.
“You could hear the fear and disbelief in his voice,” Baxter, 30, shared with the outlet, recalling what her broker told her next. “He said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but she doesn’t want to sell the home to you, and it’s because you’re Black.’ The news devastated Baxter, who had been excitedly planning her future in her dream home.
On May 17, she and her boyfriend, Dr. Ronald Gamble Jr., 35, a theoretical astrophysicist for NASA, decided to make the three-hour drive from Alexandria, Virginia, to see the home in person. The couple shared an apartment, but Baxter, who went through a divorce two years ago, yearned to own a home.
After initially finding the condo on Zillow, Baxter contacted the agent, Wayne Miller of 757 Realty, who arranged a virtual tour. Despite her camera being off during the tour, the agent provided a detailed walkthrough alongside the seller’s agent, prompting Baxter to submit an offer.
“It’s a classic home with a ton of character. It’s absolutely gorgeous and you can walk to the beach. It was like a steal,” she said, per the Times. “I basically put in an offer sight unseen.”
Baxter had envisioned the condo as her long-term home. It had a marble fireplace, a private foyer, crown molding, and wainscoting, perfectly outlined in its three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The views and amenities alone were enough for the molecular biologist to make it official.
The condo was already in escrow, and Baxter and her boyfriend eagerly anticipated seeing it in person on the same day as the inspection. As the couple left, they unexpectedly ran into Walker and her agent, Susan Pender of Berkshire Hathaway RW Towne Realty. Before they drove off, Pender introduced her client to the molecular biologist and astrophysicist.
According to Baxter, Walker told her agent she wanted to cancel the sale because she didn’t want to sell the home to a Black person. Pender immediately contacted Miller about the situation. He then shared the details with Loftis, who delivered the troubling news to Baxter.
Gamble was also taken aback by the news, given the high-profile racial events that have rocked the nation in recent years. Later that night, Baxter turned to X, formerly Twitter, and shared her story with 163,000 followers on her account.
Baxter was determined to fight a system that has long prevented Black men and women from becoming homeowners .
“Baby, I’m either buying your house or buying YOUR BLOCK. CHOOSE ONE,” she said at the end of her post.
After receiving an outpouring of support, Baxter filed a discrimination claim with the Virginia Fair Housing Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and contacted a civil rights lawyer for further advice, the DailyMail reported.
Baxter thanked everyone who offered her invaluable advice about handling the situation.
“Had I not gone to Twitter and received help from people who knew what they were doing, I would have been panicking the entire weekend,” Baxter told The New York Times, adding, “It was my first time buying a house. I knew my civil rights were being violated. I knew that something illegal was happening, but no one knew what to do.”
The following day, Loftis called Baxter and shared that Walker’s children convinced her to change her mind, and the molecular biologist would soon become a homeowner in her dream home later this summer.
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