Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer, used social media to share that he couldn’t use the term “master bedroom” anymore. This social media share came after discovering the term, which references back to the days of slavery. Crump represented the family of murder victim George Floyd, who became the victim of a former police officer of Minneapolis. Released first on Twitter by Crump as a statement of meaning and application to future statements. The tweet referenced that this expression would faze out over the coming future since it’s so associated with former plantation life. The connection to slavery is just too closely tied for usefulness. Going forward, Crump stated that he wants to “create a more inclusive and aware community.”
In the Star Tribune, he referenced this to reporters that real estate listings in Minnesota are phasing it out. Instead, phrases like “primary” and “main” are the norm going forward. The piece went on to share that real estate brokers across the state are switching these references to help “racial reckoning” that caused such a travesty with George Floyd. The social media audience that Crump tried to reach did not receive his statements well. They stated that this tweet and attention to the matter was “trivial.” Once a person writes that basically, it was not appropriate and seemed empty. The person felt that it wouldn’t change anything to make such changes going forward in the real estate market. That same person went on to use foul language to describe how they felt. They went on to say that a focus on shootings in Chicago was more important for the weekend news. Struggles with the term of slavery were apparent in that same statement.
That same person went on to say that at the age of 52 years, they support eliminating racism, but that the master bedroom and bathroom simply mean the master and misses of the house. The goal seems to be the creation of a more inclusive world, rather than drawing attention to the differences and creating more division. Another reference came from the post, connecting the term with the lock company named Master. Going on to say that one word can mean several things. In the end, it’s only what the person wishes to associate with it. It’s a personal choice for everyone. Additional information at that time, regarding the history of slavery, never referenced the word in conjunction with the main bedroom. The word didn’t appear until 1920, in actual fact, in the Sears Roebuck Catalog, describing a home kit. The kit allowed people to build a home, like setting up Legos. The question on everyone’s mind is how this should go. When using the word master, does it reference the main bedroom of a house, or does it bring up images of slavery? The decision is still up to each person for the most part. One thing is certain, however, Ben Crump believes that it’s a concern. He wants to make the change and works actively to pursue that step for the Minnesota real-estate community.
