A Black property owner removes all family photos and African American art from her house before the appraiser arrives to make the property inspection. What is the name for this action?

• A. Self-censorship
• B. Whitewashing
• C. Cultural erasure
• D. Color-blind listing

Answer: (B)

The main idea is recognizing a deliberate attempt to alter a property's presentation to hide racial cues in order to influence its valuation. Whitewashing describes removing or concealing racial or cultural indicators—like family photos and African American art—so the appraiser sees a more “neutral” property. This is discriminatory because it tries to affect the appraisal based on race rather than the property itself, and it can violate fair housing laws. Self-censorship is just the owner choosing not to display items, not changing the property's appearance for an appraisal. Cultural erasure is related, but whitewashing captures the specific act of masking racial markers to sway value. A color-blind listing implies ignoring race in marketing, but doesn’t describe removing items to affect appraisal.