Homeowners in six metro-area cities including Minneapolis can now take action to remove discriminatory language from their property titles with help from the new Just Deeds Coalition.

Building on data from Mapping Prejudice, a University of Minnesota Libraries project, the coalition provides free legal and title services to help homeowners find discriminatory covenants and discharge them.

UMRA members learned about Mapping Prejudice in a presentation by Project Director Kirsten Delegard for UMRA A.M. on October 13, 2020. Delegard shared the history and tragic impacts of these covenants, which restricted home ownership to whites and enabled segregated neighborhoods, redlining, and limitations on economic growth for communities of color. Although no longer legal or enforceable, these covenants remain associated with many properties.  

“We have seen a tremendous awakening around this history in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder,” Delegard said when asked about the Just Deeds Coalition. “Mapping Prejudice seeks to do more than build a new dataset. Our project is designed to spur action. We are so grateful to our volunteers and community partners for connecting the past to the present in ways that will power meaningful change.”

—Wendy Pradt Lougee, University librarian and dean of libraries (retired)