Building Black Wealth: Anzhane Slaughter on the Power of Homeownership
“The Big O Show" recently hosted Anzhane Slaughter, the visionary and CEO of Young Black Homeowners (YBH), for a conversation with host The Big O about the importance of homeownership and the resources available to the Black community.
Founded in 2022, YBH is a real estate education company dedicated to providing culturally relevant and trauma-informed home buyer education to guide buyers and sellers through the home-buying process. Slaughter highlighted the critical need for this focus, noting that Black homeownership has been in decline across the country since the 1960s.
Explaining her move away from a career in law and government, Slaughter laid out her perspective on boosting Black homeownership.
“Policy work is not effective,” she said. “We absolutely need agents of change in policy work but, for me, it was just a little too slow.”
The Big O (left) and Anzhane Slaughter (right) side in the Black Media Matters Studio last week. (Photo: Erik Kalligraphy)
The CEO emphasized that YBH is not reinventing the wheel but rather communicating it and strategically sharing the information to the Black community in a way that can be best received and then applied in the real world. The organization stresses education over pressure, she said, so that buyers are well-informed.
"When you're educated about the process, you're not walking in the dark. You're not going to face a surprise,” she said.
Slaughter discussed the Covenant Homeownership Loan, a program exclusive to Washington state that directly addresses historic housing discrimination. This loan originated from 2023 legislation passed by the state Senate and House of Representatives to address the harms of racial-based covenants upheld by the judicial system. These covenants prevented the sale of homes to Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, and Korean people.
The government addressed this harm through down payment assistance, Slaughter explained, with details on the loan’s generous terms:
Forgivable Loan: Families making under 80% of the area median income (AMI) who live in the house for five years do not have to pay back the down payment and closing costs.
High-Income Qualification: Families making up to 120% AMI (which is almost $200,000, or $188,000, in King County) can still qualify for 20% down plus closing costs.
Deferred, Zero-Interest Payments: For those who must pay the loan back, payments are deferred and are zero-interest, due only upon selling the home, refinancing, or paying off the 30-year mortgage.
Anzhane Slaughter sits in the Black Media Matters Studio last week. (Photo: Erik Kalligraphy)
Slaughter stressed the importance of this program, especially given the income disparity in the area, citing a recent study in King County showing that Black households make an average of $65,000 annually compared to $126,000 for their white counterparts. This disparity means Black people "can qualify for half the amount of a home loan than our white counterparts," she said, necessitating "more resources just to play the same game".
Slaughter urged people not to wait, identifying 2025 and 2026 as a critical window for buyers due to current market conditions.
Highlighting the impact of YBH, Slaughter shared a success story of a buyer who was finally able to leave a job that was impacting their health, because the homeownership programs allowed them to save enough to cover six months of mortgage payments.
The work, Slaughter said, is not just about wealth building.
“It's about living. It's not just trying to survive. It's about giving us the opportunity to thrive and…the space to breathe,” she said.
Slaughter encouraged those who might not feel ready to buy to utilize available resources.
"Don't count yourself out... There's people out there that want to help you. There's resources out there that are for you.”
Young Black Homeowners will hold its fourth annual Black Equity Masquerade Ball on February 28, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.The formal red carpet event will be held at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center. Tickets can be purchased online at youngblackhomeowners.net or on Eventbrite.
