New tool helps Minneapolis homeowners disavow racial covenants in deeds
A new free program connects homeowners with the City Attorney s office to complete the process
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While racist land use restrictions have been illegal since 1968, as many as 9,000 properties in Hennepin County still have one stuck in their deed.
That s according to the University of Minnesota s Mapping Prejudice project, which tracks these restrictions, known as racial covenants, in deeds across Hennepin and Ramsey County.
The racial covenants, first recorded in Minneapolis in the 1910s, prohibited all future owners of the property from selling or renting it to people of color. The U s project spurred legislation in 2019 to make it easier for homeowners to clearly emphasize the restrictions are void.