Unjust Deeds: The History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond

For most of the 20th century, racial covenants were an insidious tool used nationwide to segregate whites from Blacks and other minorities in America’s burgeoning suburbs and residential neighborhoods.  Racial covenants were clauses inserted into property deeds to prevent non-Whites and non-Christian’s from buying or occupying land. Although no longer valid or enforceable, they can still be found in the land deeds of almost every American community, including Dane County.

Racial covenants were made illegal with the passage of the Fair Housing Act  in 1968. Nevertheless, their impacts are pervasive and still with us today. This program, presented by local historian Rick Bernstein, will explore the history of racial covenants in Dane County and nationwide. Through the month of December, you can also learn about this from the traveling exhibit which you can view in the Library's Community Room when it is not in use.

About the Presenter:
Rick Bernstein, a graduate of Cornell University’s Historic Preservation Planning program, worked for nearly 30 years for the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Division of Historic Preservation and Local History until he retired in 2019. Since then, Rick has worked part-time as the Dane County Historical Society's Executive Director. DCHS was established in 1961 to promote Dane County’s history and to manage an archival facility at the Lussier Family Heritage Center in Lake Farm Park. 

This exhibit and program are made possible by Beyond the Page, National Endowment for the Humanities, Madison Community Foundation, Dane Arts, Evjue Foundation and Dane County Department of Planning & Development. Curated and presented by the Dane County Historical Society.