Discharging Racial Covenants

Discharging a racial covenant should be voluntary. In Minnesota, property owners can opt-in to this process. Mandating participation in the discharge process risks framing the exercise as a top-down imposition, potentially alienating those we hope to reach. 

Voluntary engagement has the potential to foster community-led remedies for these discriminatory policies. It will also allay the fears of local officials, who are worried about their ability to manage their workload if they are forced to discharge every racial covenant in their property records.

Discharge does not undo the damage that racial covenants caused over many decades, but the process of discharge can be powerful for individuals and communities as they grapple with the legacies of these discriminatory deeds. 

We encourage individuals to learn about the history of their neighborhood and think about what could be done to right past injustices. There is no one-size solution. We must find where we are uniquely positioned to make the most impact, and take action. Learn about the ways racial covenants impact more than just homeownership, and opportunities for further action here.

Mapping Prejudice invites community members to encounter and reckon with the primary sources that document these harmful past practices. You can invite friends or family to join one of our community mapping sessions. Or, dive deeper into place-based narratives by checking out our stories from the map, or hosting a watch + discussion party of Jim Crow of the North, or Jim Crow of the North Stories.

When you share what this history means to you with family, friends and neighbors, you continue to keep this willfully hidden history in the light.