The theme for Black History Month 2026 is “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” to honor 100 years of organized efforts to study and commemorate Black history. CAI supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in all communities, and Black History Month is a great reminder of how the community association housing industry continues to advance.
CAI remains committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion a core principle guiding our membership, staff, and the community association housing model. We firmly believe in the unique strengths of every individual; diversity makes organizations more successful and communities more fulfilling. By actively cultivating diversity, we benefit from a vastly richer mix of ideas, perspectives, and life experiences that expand thinking and possibilities. We strive to foster a culture of discovery, innovation, and service as we continue to focus on our mission to build better communities.
CAI has a range of resources for community association boards and managers to promote diversity throughout their associations and membership.
Through CAI’s advocacy efforts we prioritize initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, including efforts to allow for a simplified amendment process to remove discriminatory restrictive covenants in association governing documents. CAI supports a process by which a governing board of a community association may remove antiquated and unenforceable discriminatory restrictions in covenants without a vote of the owners. CAI advocates for the adoption of state legislation that provides a process to allow for the removal of restrictions deemed to be discriminatory under the federal Fair Housing Act and/or state anti-discrimination laws.
In 1968, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act to prohibit private parties from setting discriminatory terms and conditions on the sale or use of property by making the practice of writing racial covenants into illegal deeds. Despite being deemed illegal by the FHA, that law did not provide a method of removing discriminatory provisions from deeds and governing documents. These discriminatory covenants are unenforceable and may cause unnecessary emotional distress to members of the community.
CAI supports legislation authorizing a simple process whereby an association’s governing board can remove antiquated, illegal, and unenforceable covenant restrictions deemed to be discriminatory under federal Fair Housing Act and/or state anti-discrimination laws. Thirty states have adopted statutory policy to address the removal process of discriminatory or restrictive covenants in deeds and 13 states have adopted statutory policy to address the removal process of discriminatory restrictive covenants in both deeds and associations documents.
To date in 2026 these states have introduced legislation addressing this process for either deeds, association covenants or both:
Massachusetts. H 1762 would mandate registry districts to review and, if applicable, amend property titles to exclude such language without needing court proceedings, promoting public awareness about the historical context of these restrictions. It also allows property owners and others with vested interests to file complaints in land court to have invalid restrictive clauses officially declared void at no cost. S 1080 would allow municipal authorities to review filed deeds for discriminatory restrictive covenants and allow individuals to file for removal of these discriminatory covenants.
New York: A 9499/S 8760 was introduced, which requires the removal of discriminatory restrictive covenants from deeds as a condition of transactions.
West Virginia: SB 146 would create an expediated process for owners and associations to file amendments to remove discriminatory restrictive covenants without a vote, which CAI actively supports.
In 2025, New York passed A 1820/S 3178 requiring the removal of discriminatory restrictive covenants in deeds during a real estate transaction. It also requires community association boards to identify and remove discriminatory restrictive covenant language from their governing documents within one year of the bill’s enactment. If an owner finds a discriminatory restrictive covenant in governing documents, this statute allows the board the ability to re-record the document to strike the language.
Oklahoma also passed HB 2171 creating an expedited process for owners and associations to file amendments to remove discriminatory restrictive covenants. CAI supported these bills in both states.
You can track the legislation CAI monitors removal of discriminatory restrictive covenants and see the bills CAI is monitoring on our Legislative Tracking Map.
It is essential for the community association industry to reaffirm its dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This moment is not only about honoring history, but about renewing the industry’s responsibility to ensure the laws we support, the policies we promote, and the best practices we advance foster communities where everyone is treated with dignity and fairness.
By standing firmly for non-discriminatory governance and equitable opportunity, CAI strengthens trust, enhances community well-being, and reinforces the fundamental principle that vibrant, healthy, successful community associations are built on inclusion. CAI’s commitment remains ongoing, intentional, and reflected advocacy initiatives and industry best practices during Black History Month and throughout the year.
