When the City of Robbinsdale was developed, many of the original developers placed restrictions on the titles of homes to keep people who were not white (or people of certain religions) from buying or renting homes in Robbinsdale. These restrictions are called restrictive covenants and they appeared all over the country during the first part of the 20th century. At the time of the first restrictive covenants in the Minneapolis area (around 1910), the area was not particularly segregated. As a result of the covenants, African American people were pushed into a few small areas in the City and out of many suburban areas, including Robbinsdale. As a result, the metro area is still highly segregated by race.

Resolution 7832 Informing the Public Regarding Racially Restrictive Covenants and Directing Staff to Provide Information and Instructions to the Public of the Process to Remove Said Covenants

It is important to have a community conversation about restrictive covenants even though they have not been enforceable since 1948. Restrictive covenants were part of how Robbinsdale was planned and developed. The segregation that exists in and around our community today was planned and carried out though a coordinated effort by developers, government (local, state, and federal), realtors, lawyers, bankers, and ordinary people. In some cases, covenants were imposed directly by city government through zoning regulations and approvals.

Restrictive covenants persist in housing patterns today. It has resulted in an uneven distribution of wealth and in some of the largest racial disparities in the country in areas such as income, home ownership, education, and health outcomes. Many of these disparities can be traced back to the fact that families of color could not purchase homes in suburban areas (like Robbinsdale) and, therefore, did not have access to good public education, healthcare, home ownership, parks and recreation, and the ability to build generational wealth. It is important for our community to acknowledge this past, identify its lasting effects, and work to unwind these effects.

In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law to allow property owners to renounce the covenants on their properties. Last year, the Golden Valley Human Rights Commission started a project to help community members renounce restrictive covenants. The project provides free legal and title services to help property owners find covenants and remove them from their properties. The project will also provide education to the community about restrictive covenants and how they have harmed our community.

Golden Valley has invited Robbinsdale to participate in the project and would like to make these free services available to Robbinsdale residents. Information can be found on the Golden Valley Website - Just Deeds

An interactive map and more information on restrictive covenants can be found on the Mapping Prejudice website