TV producer, screenwriter, and media mogul Shonda Rhimes may have popularized the surname Grey because of her hit show Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present). But there is a real-life Grey family, who for three generations has continued to make a difference in real estate in Harlem, New York.

Maurice Russell Grey is the current Chief Executive Officer of Esra Realty. He is part of the third generation of real estate brokers. Maurice, a tall man with a cordial presence, welcomed me into the meeting room. It was warm. Rays of sun light beamed through the withdrawn shades, exuding an essence of regality. As I listened to Maurice’s story, I realized it was a remarkable recount of historical permanence, family legacy, and a Caribbean-American perspective on the makings of the American Dream.

Maurice is a Harlemite; he was born in Harlem Hospital and raised on its most notable streets. However, his background is Caribbean. His mother was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and immigrated to the United States for college. His father, Maurice Edward Grey was born in Harlem, and his maternal family originated from Guyana. We bonded on the fact that both our families are Guyanese.

Maurice could not converse about the family’s successes without first delving into its history. His grandmother, Sarah Edwards was one of the founders of Esra Realty, which is an acronym for Edwards Sisters Realty Associates. Sarah and her older sisters, Millicent and Lucille immigrated from what was then British Guiana in the 1920s. Millicent embarked on the journey first and sent for her sisters. They opened the real estate business in 1925 to help Caribbeans find housing. “Three ladies who had a vision that Harlem was about to change,” Maurice says. They also had an employment business called Edwards-Bowen Employment Agency to help Caribbeans find jobs.

The company name was changed from Edwards Sisters Realty Associates to Esra by Maurice and his cousin Aden Seraile—co-owner whose grandmother is also Sarah Edwards—because during public gatherings people expected to see three sisters. Two grown men did not fit the image. However, they kept the legacy of these accomplished Guyanese women. Sarah’s sister Lucille became the fourth Black woman to graduate from NYU law and the first Black woman barred in New York State. Until their sister Millicent’s untimely death, Lucille was the real estate attorney and Sarah was the real estate manager. Together they bought and sold several homes in Harlem in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

In awe of Esra Realty’s legacy, I asked Maurice what it was about this firm that drew him in. “I backed my way back in. I had these grand dreams of my own,” he said, to my surprise. “Wall Street was big, and everyone was going to Wall Street making all of this money.” At that time, in the late 90s, Maurice mentioned the recession and how difficult it was to find jobs unless you had a finance degree or IVY league background. “If you were Black and you were coming out without one of those things, it was very tough to crack that circle,” he said. The circle is a reference to a predominately white Wall Street environment. It was a rude awakening for Maurice who graduated from Rutgers University in 1996, majoring in political science and African-American Studies; he values his undergrad experience because of how much it helped him “build his character and self-worth,” but he wondered what he wanted to do.

Even growing up in a real estate family, Maurice remarks how he “didn’t fully understand the power of real estate.” He likens this notion to human nature, saying “When you grow up with something, you don’t appreciate it.” Especially, in the 70s and 80s, Maurice let me know that Harlem was not “booming” like it is now. There were “a lot of abandoned buildings, degradation, no one was eager to move to Harlem at those times.” He recalls his father struggling to “keep the business afloat for many years because the perception of Harlem is not what it is now. More people were moving out than moving in.” I continue to listen to Maurice as he shares: “I remember going to sitings with him as he showed Brownstones in the 80s; he was pretty much begging people to buy $200,000 and sometimes less than that.”

Maurice not only understood the challenges his father faced but also the struggles of those aiming for homeownership. There were a lot of obstacles: the down payment, high-interest rates, redlining, and discriminatory lending practices. Maurice adds, “specifically in Harlem.” Harlem didn’t grow the way it should have. With redlining, Maurice gives a fictional example that sheds light on the reality of marketing homes in certain communities. He says “Suppose Harlem starts on 110 street. A brownstone on 105 Street or 98 Street with the same dimensions as something in Harlem, you’re able to finance that. However, once you cross over, your financing criteria change. They are asking for a higher down payment or saying you have a higher likelihood of foreclosure.” With this example, Maurice makes the case that perception has always mattered. It is what creates generational wealth.

According to Maurice, the practices of red-lining and predatory lending weren’t confined to Harlem but occurred in most Black neighborhoods, and when talking about the wealth gap in real estate, he says it isn’t “accidental.” He admits part of the wealth gap is because of a lack of financial education, but a lot has to do with discriminatory practices and even deed restrictions. 

Maurice says, there are some places in New York State where if you were “Black or Latina you were not legally allowed to buy the property.” He cites the Ridgway vs. Cockburn case (1937) that occurred in Edgemont Hills, New York. A light-skinned Caribbean woman, Pauline T. Cockburn, was sued by her white neighbor Mrs. Marion R. Ridgway because of a racial deed covenant attached to neighborhood properties. The racial deed covenant stated, “No parcels shall ever be leased, sold, rented, conveyed or given to Negroes or any persons of the Negro race or blood, except that colored servants may be maintained on the premises.” In short, if you were a person of color, you were only welcomed into the neighborhood as domestic servants. Unaware of the deed a year prior, the Cockburns, Pauline and her husband Joshua, both of Caribbean descent, bought and built their home in Edgemont for $20,000. Although the Cockburns had an excellent defense team, Arthur Garfield Hays and Thurgood Marshall—who was destined to become a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court—they lost the case.

Racial deed restrictions were not the only barriers. Maurice recalls how his own Caribbean immigrant family also faced challenges in purchasing homes from homeowners who used de facto discriminatory practices. The first-generation family eventually achieved success, at one point owning a brownstone on Strivers Row, an enclave of brownstones famous for housing Harlem’s elite politicians and successful artists. They then looked to acquire property in Westchester. They “bought” a home in a town called Hasting-On Hudson. They had a cross burned on their front lawn. Maurice recalled how his family was able to buy properties by fronting white buyers “because if you showed up as Black buyer that was it.”

The powerful impact of his family buying in once exclusively white neighborhoods is that it allowed other Black families to be the first to move there. They influenced neighborhoods in Westchester and Southampton, and Maurice says “Some of these families are still there today.”

During our interview Maurice’s aunt, Ramona Grey-Harris, comes into the meeting room. He introduces me to this beautiful, medium-height woman with short-cropped hair and glasses. Maurice says she is part of the second-generation family and their historian. Ramona reminded Maurice of business, and it was great to witness two generations together. It felt like a historic moment in my eyes. She’d just retired in January 2023. The second-generation was Ramona, Juliette, Maurice Edward Grey, and his cousin Aden’s mother, Janette. Ramona is the lone survivor.

I finally asked Maurice what was the turning point that allowed him to accept his family business as his own. He recalls a time he interviewed with a bank. When asked where he saw himself in five years, he said branch manager. Maurice received feedback that stated, “he doesn’t want to start at the bottom; he may not be one to follow directions.” These statements made him realize that if being ambitious was perceived as bad, then he didn’t need to be in that room. He noted the interviewer was Black, which I interpreted that experience as internalized racial gatekeeping– this belief that there can “only be one of us.” Maurice says, “Don’t let someone determine where you should be or that you shouldn’t ask for anything; you should rather strike out on your own.” This experience allowed him to see that his family’s business is a vehicle through which he can flex his entrepreneurial skills. This was the opportunity.

Interestingly, his father did not openly encourage him to follow in his footsteps. His father did not see huge profits in the ’70s and ’80s but was grateful he had enough to keep afloat. “The focus went away from growing to just sustaining to survive,” Maurice said. Yet his father and family always preached about Harlem’s potential and the wisdom of buying there. Maurice noted that the location is perfect – right by Jersey, Queens, Westchester, and Downtown Manhattan. But, socially—the drug crisis, the violence characteristic of impoverished communities with limited opportunities, buildings falling due to lack of maintenance—made it incredibly difficult to market Harlem as a place for a family to live. “Mentioning Harlem during those times was not met with positivity,” he said. However, the firm’s potential to not just survive, but also grow and sustain itself, came during the beginnings of a Harlem turnaround.

Bill Clinton moving into an office space in Harlem was a “big deal,” from a marketing perspective Maurice says. 

It helped transform the negative perception of Harlem. Maurice recalls showing homes and everyone wanting to know where Clinton’s office was located. The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, New York’s version of programs to spur urban growth in depressed communities around the country, was also helpful. For Maurice, it took taking seminar classes, joining The Greater Harlem Estate Real Estate Board, and seeing people look like him buying and selling property, to get him excited about a Harlem turnaround.

In 2023 this Harlem turnaround made someone like me, a true Brooklynite, venture to Harlem for The Apollo’s annual Festival of Arts & Ideas. The event, “[at] The Intersection” was curated by Ta-Nehesi Coates. It featured many speakers, authors, artists, and chefs talking about their experiences. Maurice told me that his wife, Tasha Lily Grey, was also in attendance. Perhaps we brushed shoulders without realizing it. 

Maurice tells me that Harlem has always attracted people from all walks of life. His buyer’s clientele leans more toward white, Asian, mixed-race couples, and nonheteronormative couples. He believes it shows a more diverse and accepting attitude of Harlem, a “Renaissance” that is happening, rather than “gentrification,” a word he is intentional about not using because, from his lens, it is very complicated. Ultimately, Maurice wants to see more Black home ownership and developing Black intergenerational wealth, two topics he is very passionate about. “I know how important they are,” he said. However, Maurice states that there is “diversity value, there is value not growing up in a bubble.”

Maurice’s vision for Esra Realty includes teaching people the value of owning—and one avenue is through real estate. “Ninety percent of millionaires are created through real estate,” he said, emphasizing the need to educate people about owning, building and developing. 

Maurice discusses the importance of networking and attending events because “you never know whom you might meet and what information you may get.” 

He notes that Black people were “conditioned to rent,” and there is a reason for these setbacks. Historically, Black people in the United States were not allowed to own or be educated.

When Black homeowners want to sell their homes race plays a role. Maurice offers a stark example–when a Black homeowner removed all signs of Black art or photography, the appraisal of the property went up by $400,000. Another person in Brooklyn did the same thing to his brownstone and his appraisal went up $1 million. These are “game-changing numbers.” This perception speaks to the society we live in; that a Black person has less value than a white person. “A Black person makes 80 percent less than a white person with the same credentials,” Maurice says, and adds that women face the same discrimination. “So what does that mean? They are saying that women and Black people are worth less than a white man.”

Maurice believes the recipe for change goes beyond hard work alone. Successful people rely on someone to help them get through barriers. Maurice wants to make sure that Esra Realty is there, breaking barriers and “holding the door for as many people as possible.” Currently, the company’s business includes property management, development, and private lending. He says real estate is a viable option for achieving the American Dream.

Maurice is a brilliant, well-resourced, and ambitious man who knows his African-American and his family’s Caribbean history. They inform his leadership, which began three generations ago from Guyanese sisters Millicent, Lucille, and Sarah who had a vision.

The post Maurice Russell Grey: Esra Realty Firm’s Third-generation leader  appeared first on Sunday Best Magazine.

Far too often the ingenuity and contributions of Black Americans are erased, hidden, or simply never acknowledged in the history of the United States.

The legacy of exploited labor and the subjugation of enslaved Africans in this country has sustained a marginalized view of Black humanity and abilities. Not only did the enslaved have to survive unimaginable adversity, the accomplishments of their descendants are largely unsung.

Cheryl McKissack Daniel embodies the innovation, talents, and faithful spirit that has enabled Black Americans to persevere.

Cheryl McKissack Daniel is the President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest Black owned—and woman led—professional design and construction firm in the United States. For 118 years this family-owned business has been a pillar in the construction and design community, carrying on a legacy that was birthed in bondage. McKissack today has 150 employees with annual revenues of $50 million. Next year’s projection is $60 million.

When you walk into the McKissack office in midtown Manhattan, it’s hard not to be in awe. Not simply because of the lush, grassy accent wall, donning the bright red McKissack emblem, or the gentle silence and cool air of the lobby, but of the history that made it all possible. The legacy wall provides a glimpse of the McKissack family members that passed the baton each generation, expanding their expertise and scope to amass more than 6,000 planning, design, and construction projects to date.

This five generation succession requires vision, focus, and a commitment to family. McKissack Daniel’s great-great-grandfather, Moses McKissack I, was born of the West African Ashanti empire and sold into slavery to William Mckissack of North Carolina. While enslaved Moses was taught brick making. This skill would change the trajectory of the Mckissack family for years to come. McKissack Daniel states, “He had to overcome slavery and the mentality of being enslaved, to have the foresight that he wanted something better. And to have something better he needed a craft.” Moses passed on the trade of brick making to his son Moses II, a free man, who went on to become a master builder, who specialized in spiral staircases and gingerbread finishes, most notably for the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, TN.

The early post-emancipation era allowed craftsmen and artisans like the first two Mckissack men to sell their bricks and start businesses, as the labor and skills of freed Blacks were still in high demand. Moses III followed in the footsteps of the first two, learning the art of building from his father Moses II, and becoming an accomplished carpenter. He received his formal education in segregated Pulaski public schools and established the McKissack & McKissack firm in 1905 in Nashville. Eventually teaming up with his brother Calvin L. McKissack, the firm’s first major commission was to design the Carnegie Library on the Fisk University campus.

By the 1920s it was unpopular for Blacks to work side by side with whites and do business. While working throughout the South in Black institutions, schools, churches, and universities, it was not safe for Moses III and his crew to travel at night because Blacks were being killed and they couldn’t patronize hotels and restaurants. They navigated this time staying with friends and relatives, splitting the day time between traveling and construction.

Racism always required the McKissack family to pivot and recalibrate. They encountered another stumbling block when Tennessee instituted a registration law for architects in 1922 and the McKissack Brothers were initially denied. But after petitioning the state and acquiring architectural degrees, Moses Mckissack III became the first Black licensed architect in the United States, on May 27th 1922, with certificate number 117. He was followed by his brother Calvin with certificate number 118 on the same day.

In the late 1930s McKissack & McKissack received several federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contracts. The WPA was a U.S.-backed jobs program to help lift the economy out of the depression. In 1942 the company received a $5.7 million contract—the equivalence of about $107 million in 2023 dollars—for construction of the Ninety-ninth Pursuit Squadron Air Base for the African American combat air unit in Tuskegee, Alabama. This World War II contract was the largest ever granted by the federal government to an African American company. The McKissacks also designed several federal housing projects and Moses McKissack III received an appointment to the White House Conference on Housing Problems during President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration.

Following the death of his brother, Calvin L. McKissack became president and general manager of the firm until his own death in 1968. The reins were passed to Moses III’s son, William D. McKissack, Cheryl McKissack Daniel’s father. The family described William as a “Good ole’ Boy” having business associates in Black and white communities. He developed strong relationships with politicians and other contractors, collaborating on joint ventures all across Nashville, and led construction on twenty historically Black colleges. Unfortunately William D. McKissack suffered a stroke that would require a change in leadership. And though the family was under pressure to sell their blossoming business, it was McKissack Daniel’s mother, Leatrice Mckissack, a long time stay-at-home mom, who rose to the occasion.

“Now when my Mother took over, they were not ready for that,” McKissack Daniel recalls. Many people were not accustomed to having a woman in a powerful leadership role. She had to clean house and “change her senior management team at the office, so they could appreciate the fact that she was running the business and not my father,” McKissack Daniel adds.

The matriarchal McKissack may have been an unexpected CEO but she was ready for the challenge. McKissack Daniel says, “Yet when she had to make a business decision on a dime, not only did Mom’s education and prior experience in the workforce kick in, coupled with her family’s prominence in the community and the McKissack’s legacy as builders surviving enslavement, filled within her the fortitude to keep the business in the family for the sake of her daughters. I am grateful that she groomed and prepared me to become the 5th generation president and CEO of the family’s original business.” Her mother had a Master’s in Psychology.

When it was time for McKissack Daniel to start her collegiate journey her father said, “You can attend any college in the world, but I’m only paying for Howard University”. And he meant it. “He was a Howard University alumnus and proud of his alma mater,” McKissack Daniel says. “And while it may be a risky move today, Howard was the only school I applied to and thank goodness, I got in! In hindsight, I realize just why Howard was so important to my father.”

In addition to her parents always stressing the importance of education, the HBCUs were and are “the epitome of Black excellence in every facet,” she adds. “It prepared me for the real world. If you can navigate Howard’s registration and bursar’s office, you can accomplish anything. No task is too hard, it only takes a little finesse. That’s a priceless life lesson for all seasons.”

Cheryl McKissack Daniel received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Howard University. And while she valued her on-the-job training from her mother and the Southern roots that built the company, she always had her sights set on New York City. But bringing the McKissack business to the Big Apple was uncharted territory. Though McKissack Daniel possessed an impressive portfolio of work, supported by her family’s outstanding reputation in the South, that didn’t hold weight in New York City. Coming to New York meant starting over.

In order to get over the hump and make an impact in New York she committed to a razor focused strategy. “I chased the money,” McKissack Daniel says. She went after the construction, finance, and project management agencies that had the highest amount in their budget for capital programs. Agencies such as the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and the New York City School Construction Authority (NYCSCA). “Every event that they had, every opportunity for me to speak to a board member, a president, a CFO, a procurement officer, or a secretary, I developed relationships with them. I pursued business relationships and made alliances with large construction managers such as Turner Construction, Skanska Construction, and Lend Lease construction. I knew they were going to need a M/WBE to put on their team to go after these contracts once the legislation passed. I made sure I was that preferred person.”

M/WBE refers to Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise.

The M/WBE legislation was a helpful tool to create opportunities for minority business owners, but the field of access was still narrow, as minority meant all non-white ethnicities and women of all cultures and races could fill that M/WBE quota. But McKissack Daniel’s networking abilities and shrewd tactics worked in her favor. Her strategy was “Learn the client, develop relationships with the client, learn how to build in New York City with my strategic alliances, and steal their people.” (Here we shared a big laugh). This was the formula that would allow her to become independent. She states, “Building staff, building reputation, and building relationships was for the purpose of becoming a prime contractor.”

A prime contractor is a contractor without a partner. There is often an assumption that minority companies are not up to the task or will need the backing and partnership of other firms. The process of becoming a prime contractor is an arduous one. McKissack Daniel states, “It’s a constant proving of yourself, taking itty bitty steps and not being able to leap frog. Because when people look at minority companies they look to eliminate. They look to throw a road block. They don’t look at what the potential is, like we do when we bring on our minority contractors.”

Much like her great-great-grandfather she banks on the capability and skills of her people, that have been historically shut out, no matter how challenging the landscape. She advises, “You have to be thick-skinned, self-motivated, and deliver on your promise. That’s just good business.”

As a result, under her leadership, the Mckissack & Mckissack firm is responsible for $50 billion worth of construction projects, including the new Terminal One at JFK International Airport, the LaGuardia Airport Central Terminal building redevelopment and the Coney Island Hospital campus renovation. McKissack Daniel also credits being the independent engineer for the MTA for fourteen years as a cornerstone in her career. Winning the MTA contract set them up for transit work across the country in addition to moving the Atlantic Yards rail to make way for the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. She states, “This really moved the needle for Mckissack & McKissack.”

A legacy like this does not occur by happenstance. Education has been key to their advancement. McKissack Daniel says, “Construction now is not like trade school.” A degree in architecture, engineering, and construction management are essential to be a part of technical teams to manage construction work. Entering into this field requires guidance and engaging with students at a young age helps expose them to the possibilities of this industry.

McKissack Daniel is paying it forward as a national board member of ACE Mentor Program of America. ACE goes into high schools once a week and mentors in the field of architecture, construction, and engineering. The program culminates with the students building their own project, based on a McKissack job. She explains, “If we have a project in Brooklyn the whole team working on that project, from the architect, to the engineer, to the contractor will put together the curriculum for that school. The kids also get to come to the construction site. I love ACE.”

She also works with The National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) and they are looking to build an entrepreneur/training center. The entrepreneur outreach will bring in individuals that want to start their business and guide them in the right direction with their business plan and give them access to resources, while the training facility will focus on trades. She is the chair of the New York Building Congress Foundation whose charity event she was whisking away to that evening as soon as our interview concluded. In cooperation with New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, McKissack & McKissack is adopting a school focusing on vocation/trades and bringing in union leaders to help facilitate this effort.

As the future continues to unfold McKissack Daniel says, “I look forward to the next venture while growing our construction business.” She and John Rice founded Legacy Engineers in 2019. Though the pandemic was looming it didn’t hurt their business because there were so few Black-owned mechanical, electrical, and plumbing/fire protection engineering firms. It’s grown from the two founders to fifteen people, an office in Atlanta, and they are looking to open all along the east coast. Her goal is to have a thriving pool of Black engineers to turn the business over to and continue to create Black business owners.

To stay ready for the next chapter McKissack Daniel finds inspiration in many texts. She sites, “The Ideal Team Player,” and “The Five Dysfunctions of A Team,” by Patrick Lencioni; “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins, and “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho just to name a few. She says, “We have used all these books in our strategic planning over the years.” And for her spiritual grounding she relies on the Bible and “Jesus CEO” by Laurie Beth Jones. “Jesus CEO,” offers five Ps that McKissack Daniel has used every step of the way: Perseverance; persistence; preparedness; productivity, and prayer.

Chandra McQueen, President of Moona Media & Management who works closely with the company, often says McKissack Daniel and her family are “The Hidden Figures of construction,” a reference to the three brilliant Black scientists—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson—who played a critical role in NASA during the development of the U.S. space program and were subjects of the 2016 feature film “Hidden Figures.”

Indeed. They are a revolutionary Black American institution that should be celebrated.

This extraordinary family exemplifies a dedication to craft and community. They invested in skills that couldn’t be taken away, constructing their destiny brick by brick.

www.mckissack.com

The post Cheryl McKissack Daniel—The “Hidden Figure” Of Construction Industry appeared first on Sunday Best Magazine.