Ep 10: 'The Color of Law' w Victor Reyes

In today’s episode, Colin sits down with his dear brother of close to 3 decades. The two met on the local basketball court in 6th grade via their mutual childhood friend, Ronnie Lang, to whom they dedicate this episode to, as a loved one who heartbreakingly passed from cancer a little over a decade ago. On the hoop court in the Richmond Annex as kids, they were affectionately known as “Asian Steve Kerr” and “Latino Khalid El-Amin”–which is f------ hilarious if you know late 90s basketball–and have had each other’s backs through countless moments and waves of good, bad, and ugly. Today's guest is an Uncle to Colin's children, the Godfather of his daughter, Mayari, and a Dominoes and “Magic the Gathering” afficionado, whose confidence in these arenas mirrors that of Marshawn Lynch being handed the ball at the one yard line. Today's guest is a person Colin accompanied to Oracle Arena to witness Stephen Curry hit his 400th 3 point pointer in the Warriors’ 73-win 2017 season, and when they took a picture together with the championship trophy and the photographer stated, “Sir, please don’t touch the trophy,” he sucked his teeth and replied, “I’m from Richmond.” Today's guest is an extremely knowledgeable, talented, and brilliant Real Estate Agent and leader/mentor with and for many in this realm. He agrees with the United Nations that housing is a human right, is hypervigilant as it pertains to issues of social justice and supporting historically dispossessed communities of color in the Bay Area, and Colin is honored to discuss Richard Rothstein's groundbreaking text, "The Color of Law," here on The Paper Plane. 

Victor Reyes, is an immigrant born, naturalized citizen, hailing from Lima, Peru. He and his family migrated to the US, when he was only 5 years of age. His family settled in Miami for a couple of years before moving to the Bay Area, specifically Richmond, CA, where he grew up.

Prior to venturing into the real estate industry, Victor has honed his skills and expertise through an 8 year career in Sales & Service and 6 year career in Logistics. Victor’s journey endowed him with a wealth of knowledge and experience, an invaluable asset that he brings to his clients in the diverse and dynamic Bay Area markets. Victor’s desire is to empower his clients to realize their dreams of homeownership, by providing relentless support and expertise.

Notably, he served as the former President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals East Bay Chapter (NAHREP) and currently serves as the Founding President of the National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates East Bay Chapter (NHORA). Victor’s dedication extends to supporting organizations like the RYSE Center, which plays a pivotal role in creating safe spaces for youth in Richmond, CA. His multifaceted commitment to bettering the lives of those around him exemplifies his unwavering passion and dedication.

The Paper Plane is a podcast created and hosted by Colin Masashi Ehara, where he interviews people he is blessed and honored to share community with, and asks them about a book(s) that have had a transformational impact on their lives. In a society where literacy rates are steadily declining and a growing number of podcasts hosted by cishet men, un/consciously champion expressions of masculinity that come at the expense of women, femmes, and LGBTQIA2S+ (especially BIPOC) folx, this space aims to operate as a counter-narrative.

The Paper Plane is a space that intends to highlight the dire importance of relationships, community, dialogue, perpetual learning, honest expression as art, art as honest expression, and freedom for literacy and literacy for freedom. It speaks to planes of existence attached to the act of reading, but also as a metaphor for the “flights” we take as we sit in what Ta-Nehisi Coates calls “a one way interface” as readers, and how these “journeys” shape us...