The Racial Restrictive Covenants Project featured in College of Arts & Science's Perspectives

Submitted by Xiaoshun Zeng on

The UW College of Arts & Science's newsletter Perspectives (December 2021 issue) published a story featuring the Racial Restrictive Convents Project led by Professor James Gregory.

Racial restrictions on the sale and rental of property became illegal in 1968, but for fifty years before that it was common practice for realtors, developers, and home-owner associations to impose legally binding deed restrictions that prevented people of color from living in many neighborhoods. Last spring the state legislature passed a law authorizing a team of UW researchers to locate racist property records across much of Washington State, and help current owners repudiate them. Led by Professor James Gregory, the team includes PhD candidate Madison Heslop, senior history majors Jazzlynn Woods and Sophia Dowling, and sophomore computer science major Nicholas Boren.

Below is an expert from the Perspectives feature article written by Nancy Joseph:

Imagine buying your dream home — and then learning you are prohibited from owning it. A surprising number of residential property deeds in Washington state contain clauses excluding certain groups from ownership.

Those clauses are no longer enforceable thanks to a 1968 anti-discrimination law, but the exclusionary language — a reminder of sanctioned racism in the past — can nevertheless be disturbing for homeowners.

“When homeowners learn about a restriction it can be quite a shock, especially for families of color,” says James Gregory, Williams Endowed Professor in the Department of History. “Real estate companies have seen some potential buyers walk away from properties out of shock and disgust.”

Earlier this year, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1335, which funds research at the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University to search for racially restrictive covenants in home deeds. When the researchers find such covenants, they will inform the homeowners and suggest measures to repudiate the disturbing language.

To read the full article, click here to visit the College of Arts & Science Perspectives website ==>

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