Effects of housing discrimination still felt today

The history of Minnesota homeownership is steeped in policies that promoted discrimination.

In the early 1900s, housing policies put black communities at a disadvantage. Communities of color were deemed risky investments and received little to no support from the federal government, while white families in white communities were approved for reasonable loans. They purchased homes they could sell or pass on to their children, allowing them to build a foundation for wealth. Black families weren’t given the same opportunities.

Host Angela Davis talked about the toll of housing discrimination on communities of color with Daniel Bergin, senior producer of the Twin Cities PBS documentary “Jim Crow of the North.” The film focuses on covenant deeds, which restricted sales based on race, and their effect on Minnesota’s racial disparities. Bergin worked with Kirsten Delegard, the co-founder of the Mapping Prejudice project, which aims to map every covenant deed in Minneapolis. She also joined the conversation.

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.

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