Past the heavy wooden doors inside the Land Records Department at St. Louis City Hall, Shemia Reese strained to make out words written in 1925 in tight, loopy cursive. the church opened its doors to all races despite being in a neighborhood that imposed racially discriminatory restrictive covenants for much of that time. Some online projects are digitizing and creating databases of restrictive covenants, and developing maps showing the affected areas. Ought to be a book there. Instead, they get a summary from their attorney of restrictions that still apply. The grants will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions, explore and understand better the communities in which they serve, and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs. Michael Dew still remembers the day in 2014 when he purchased his first home a newly renovated ranch-style house with an ample backyard in San Diego's El Cerrito neighborhood, just blocks from San Diego State University. "It could make people think twice about buying. hide caption. If you are asked to sign any document purporting to waive a violation by a neighbor of the restrictions that apply to his or her property, do not sign the waiver until you have spoken about it with a member of the MPHAs Board. But other St. Louis homeowners whose property records bear similar offensive language say they don't understand the need to have a constant reminder. Kyona and Kenneth Zak found a racial covenant in the deed to their house in San Diego that barred anyone "other than the White or Caucasian race" from owning the home. According to the U.S. census bureau homeownership for white people today is around 70%, whereas for Black families its about 40%. In stark contrast, the Alliance is committing to going beyond an aesthetic of diversity, Mart says. If you are planning to build an addition to your home or even a house, review the deed restrictions that apply to your property before you begin construction in order to insure that your plans comply with the restrictions. ", "I've been fully aware of Black history in America," said Dew, who is Black. Revered for the rows of stunning dwellings that showcase masterful 1920s Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival craftsmanship, the Myers Park ZIP code carries timeless allure. Here youll find my books and an assortment of my essays and lectures. . They didn't want to bring up subjects that could be left where they were lying. hide caption. Download it here. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a bill that streamlines the process to remove the language. Ending racial covenants was one of the first things on her agenda when she joined the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council nearly a decade ago. Updated July 13, 2016 6:01 PM. again, THANKS for this series, David. When you waive property rights without compensation, it becomes a gift to allow others to benefit at your expense. Michael B. Thomas for NPR Racial covenants were a central part of Jim Crow's internal workings. The historic hood is best known for its canopy of more than 100-year-old oak trees, perfect complements to the mansions and magnificent gardens on the main drag, Queens Road . You are an amazing writer. (If you cannot locate the deed restrictions that apply to your property, you can probably obtain them from the lawyer who assisted you in purchasing your home or you can go to the office of the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds, who can help you locate those restrictions.). Blacks soon realized, though, that segregation and racism awaited them in places like Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, particularly in housing. Deed restrictions are the covenants that were originally imposed on lots in Myers Park and, because they run with the land, govern the use of property in Myers Park today. What she thought would be a simple process actually was cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming. This is the work of the church now. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Association has a substantial legal fund and will, for example, provide financial backing for strategic lawsuits filed to enforce those restrictions. She called them "straight-up wrong. white, Black, LatinX, Asian Pacific Islanders, Indigenous peoples and people of color. And at the time, allor at least the large majorityof these discriminatory practices were legal. The Myers Park Homeowners Association is making reparations to the North Carolina NAACP for its use of a racist language in an old neighborhood deed. Some counties, such as San Diego County and Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, have digitized their records, making it easier to find the outlawed covenants. Race is one of many issues the church is working on, people say, but race is so deeply embedded in what it means to be a Christian in America, Boswell says. A historic neighborhood in Charlotte is struggling with a racial legacy that plagues many communities across the country. Homes in Myers Park Charlotte NC have retained their value over the years and shown . The man sued the Shelleys and eventually won, prompting them to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the state could not enforce racial covenants. If I got something wrong, I hope you will also let me know. Sullivan knew the only way to rid the language from the record was to lobby elected officials. Hi David, my name is Carlos L. Hargraves and Henry Hargraves was my great uncle whom I remember quite well. Well-known Writer Mary Curtis hosts her own podcast. The team will regularly share what is being learned with members, lay leaders, and pastoral staff of each THRIVE church and with other congregational partners in the Alliance. This area also has the lowest household income, at around $32,000, the lowest percentage of homeownership at about 30%, and the lowest number of people who have gotten a Bachelors degree, which is about 12%. And it pulls from some subsidized housing communities that have been mixed in. The projects core team also includes sociologists Mark Mulder, of Calvin University and Kevin Dougherty, of Baylor University, whove spent their careers examining racial and ethnic dynamics in American churches. Violent crimes in Myers Park are 73% lower than the national average. Ben Boswell became senior pastor of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott and #BlackLivesMatter protests roiled the city. You should evaluate any request for property waiver to see what effect the waiver could have on you. I would love to trade notes with you and perhaps we can both fill in the blanks on Henrys life and the history behind his accomplishments as a black business man in Jim Crows North Carolina. Hi Carlos, thanks for writing and please thank your sister Clara for me, too if youre up for it, Id love to talk on the phone sometime about the Blue Duck and the beach those anecdotes sound great my email is david.s.cecelski@gmail.com might be better to talk work out a phone appointment by email? Council Member Inga Selders stands in front of her childhood home, where she currently lives with her family in Prairie Village, Kan. Selders stumbled upon a racially restrictive housing covenant in her homeowners association property records. While Charlotte is 27 percent African-American, Myers Park is only 5 percent. But the events of 2016, amidst a contentious presidential campaign that aggravated the persistent racial tensions in American culture, tested the congregation and its new pastor. City representatives are often not aware of and cannot enforce deed restrictions. Today, the neighborhood is known as Mission Hills. "There are people who are still mad at me about it," said Salvati, who is white. In a way theyre like the faint, painted-over outlines of White and Colored signs that, when I was young, I still saw occasionally by doors, restrooms and water fountains in the basements or old storage rooms of some of the Souths old movie theatersrelics of a Jim Crow Age that has passed. Missing are parts 3, 4, 5, and 6, Hi, you can find the whole series here https://davidcecelski.com/tag/the-color-of-water/. But the first one on the list is jarring to read in 2010. The Shelley House in St. Louis was at the center of a landmark 1948 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared that racial covenants were unenforceable. The areas green and blue are still 90% white. That the neighborhood continues to flourish today is a tribute to the planners farsighted design. But this definition falls short of describing the actual effects of segregation or the actors, inter-ests, and systems behind it. Nicole Sullivan (left) and her neighbor, Catherine Shannon, look over property documents in Mundelein, Ill. Gerardo Mart, L. Richardson King Professor of Sociology at Davidson College, will lead the project in partnership with Paula Clayton Dempsey, director of partnership relations for the Alliance of Baptists (a denominational partner of Myers Park Baptist). In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 0 that agreements to bar racial minorities from residential areas are discriminatory and cannot be enforced by the courts. Real estate developers and home sellers used them widely not only in the South, but also in much of the U.S. in the Jim Crow Era. hide caption. The bad risk was any neighborhoods that had Black people in them, Hatchett said. My dad was Taswell H. Hargraves (named after his father) and he was uncle Henrys oldest nephew and worked at the Blue Duck in his youth as a busboy, waiter and cashier when uncle Henry and my grandfather were galavanting about town. Its not a side issue or something we do for a little while and turn back to later. hide caption. Racially restrictive covenants were not only mutual agreements between property owners in a neighborhood not to sell to certain people, but were also agreements enforced through the cooperation of real estate boards and neighborhood associations. The 2018 election through then Republican candidate Mark Harris' eyes. The city designated it a landmark in 2010. If a lot owner obtains a building permit, the owner may still be in violation of, and subject to, more demanding deed restrictions. In Missouri, there's no straightforward path to amending a racial covenant. Although the restrictions differ somewhat from one part of Myers Park to another, most of the restrictions are more demanding than (and override) the regulations contained in the Citys Building and Zoning Code. "It was disgusting. Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants through the Thriving Congregations Initiative. Many churches have paid lip service toward racial equity and integration, even moving towards multi-racial churches, but that project has sputtered, Mart says. Leaders of the homeowners association say they only meant to remind homeowners of the other restrictions - like the one that prohibits fences in the front yard. A review of San Diego County's digitized property records found more than 10,000 transactions with race-based exclusions between 1931 and 1969. About 30,000 properties in St. Louis still have racially restrictive covenants on the books, about a quarter of the city's housing stock in the 1950s, said Gordon, who worked with a team of local organizations and students to comb through the records and understand how they shaped the city. "To know that I own a property that has this language it's heartbreaking," Reese said. yep, sweet but tart. The momentum of history in older areas is unfortunately still with us, Hatchett said. The FHAs support of racially restrictive covenants began with its development of an appraisal table for mortgages that took into account home values. hide caption. Gregory says Asian restrictions were common in Seattle and Hispanics were the target in Los Angeles. Maria and Miguel Cisneros hold the deed for their house in Golden Valley. "It's always downplayed.". If you have questions about your restrictions or wish to be sure that you do not violate them, please feel free to contact the President of the MPHA or one of the members of the Board of Directors. A few years before Brown, in 1948, racially restrictive covenants were rendered impotent by the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Shelley v. Kraemer. "It's a roof over your head. Funding for the project comes from Lilly Endowments national Thriving Congregations Initiative, which aims to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other, and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world. As a Black woman, I see the mentality that has lived on in whites as well as other Blacks due to these covenants. "After Shelley versus Kraemer, no one goes through and stamps 'unenforceable' in every covenant," said Colin Gordon, a history professor at the University of Iowa. But the city's community relations committee ruled the posting violated the Fair Housing Act and gave Myers Park until today to reach a settlement, or end up in court. An entire neighborhood might be able to if it took a vote, but that would open all the other deed restrictions to debate - like fence heights and setbacks. Together, they convinced a state lawmaker to sponsor a bill to remove the racial covenants from the record. We therefore urge and encourage you to do the following: 1. Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case that held that racially restrictive housing covenants cannot legally be enforced.. This house at 1501 Sterling Road in Myers Park is the . Racially restrictive covenants, in particular, are contractual agreements among property owners that prohibit the purchase, lease, or occupation of their premises by a particular group of people, usually African Americans . If you see something in a photograph or manuscript that I didnt see, I hope you will let me know. Change). Since they were attached to deeds, these restrictions could impact many kinds of real estate, from single-family homes to broad swaths of land that would later be developed. Even if real estate developers supported civil rights legislation and racial integration, they might well accept the necessity of racial covenants so that theyd qualify for bank loans, get the best interest rates and gain the highest prices. You can just ignore it,' " Jackson said. The lawmaker found an ally in Democratic state Sen. Adriane Johnson. Many of the areas in red and yellow are predominately Black. Change). Church leaders and dedicated members had lobbied to integrate Charlotte businesses and schools in past decades. In the 1930s, the federal government mapped out what areas they deemed to be good credit risk and areas deemed they deemed bad. It might be a few days were dealing with the hurricane big-time here but my email is david.s.cecelski@gmail.com. Nicole Sullivan found a racial covenant in her land records in Mundelein, Ill., when she and her family moved back from Tucson, Ariz. After closing, they decided to install a dog run and contacted the homeowners association. Mecklenburg County. I should have thought of racial covenants before now. hide caption. Most people know that racial disharmony, resentment and segregation have long characterized the American church. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "It bothers me that this is attached to my house, that someone could look it up," said Mary Boller, a white resident who lives in the Princeton Heights neighborhood in south St. Louis. They were especially commonplace in new and planned developments during the post-World War Two building boom in the U.S. That is emotional too. A few years ago, Dew decided to look at that home's 1950 deed and found a "nice paragraph that tells me I didn't belong. I had was a post-racial society," said Odugu, who's from Nigeria. Coastal developments are hardly the states only communities where racial covenants remain in many deeds. During Jim Crow days, many of North Carolinas towns and cities also had local ordinances that prohibited blacks and whites from living on the same streets, or in any manner adjacent to one another. Another piece of the puzzle has fallen in place. "There are not a lot of African Americans in the community," admits Myers Park resident Mary C. Curtis. The principal keys to Myers Parks continued good design are the deed restrictions that apply to almost all property in Myers Park. The first racially restrictive covenants emerged in California and Massachusetts at the end of the 19th century.31 Early racially restrictive covenants were limited agreements governing individual parcels.32 39 Within a decade, racially restrictive covenants had been enthusiastically embraced by the real estate industry.33 The Shemia Reese discovered a racial covenant in the deed to her house in St. Louis. advertised a neighborhood, then named Inspiration Heights. Racial covenants were a central part of Jim Crows internal workings. "It's a huge difference to your opportunities.". After her ordeal, Cisneros started Just Deeds, a coalition of attorneys and others who work together to help homeowners file the paperwork to rid the discriminatory language from their property records. hide caption. and Master of Urban and Regional Planning Nancy H. Welsh, racially restrictive covenants can be traced back to the end of the 19th century in California and Massachusetts. The NAACP would like the homeowners association to have the racist clause removed from its deeds. Id love to hear some of those anecdotes if you have time to talk sometime! For the whole of its 75-year history, the church opened its doors to all races despite being in a neighborhood that imposed racially discriminatory restrictive covenants for much of that time. The 1940 decision eventually led to the demise of the racist legal tool by encouraging more legal challenges against racial covenants. Racially restrictive deed restrictions and covenants were legally enforceable provisions of deeds prohibiting owners from selling or leasing their residences to members of specif-ic racial groups. "A lot of people are shocked when they hear about them.". Carlos H, sounds good, Carlos. represent and serve churches in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Anabaptist, Baptist, Episcopal, evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed, Restoration, Roman Catholic and Orthodox, as well as congregations that describe themselves as nondenominational. Development by firms and individuals are generally for their benefitNOT yours!! The family, like countless other Blacks, had come to St. Louis from Mississippi as part of the migration movement. They often were forced to live in overcrowded and substandard housing because white neighborhoods didn't want them. Maybe they will even help you to grow a little closer to wherever you call home. Home Encyclopedia Entry Restrictive covenants, Written by North Carolina History Project. In Corrigan v. Buckley, the high court ruled that a racially restrictive covenant in a specific Washington, D.C., neighborhood was a legally binding document between private parties, meaning that if someone sold a house to Blacks, it voided the contract, Winling said. Curtis and her family were among the first Black families to move to Myers Park. "The restrictions on race were, of course, declared invalid in the the 1940s," May wrote in an e-mail to The Post. Gordon found that covenants in St. Louis were primarily used between 1910 and 1950 to keep Black residents from moving beyond the borders of a thriving Black neighborhood called the Ville. Illinois becomes the latest state to enact a law to remove or amend racially restrictive covenants from property records. (LogOut/ During the first three decades of the twentieth century, North Carolina and U.S. courts repeatedly upheld racially restrictive covenants. Irbyv. Freese, No. The bill allows property owners and homeowners associations to remove the offensive and unlawful language from covenants for no more than $10 through their recorder of deeds office and in 30 days or less, Johnson said. Gerardo Mart, L. Richardson King Professor of Sociology. hide caption. That's because homebuyers hardly ever see the original deed. Congregations will actively confront structures of racism to remove a crucial obstacle to thriving, one that spiritually and materially affects all people. came out of 2016 thinking conversations about race in the church were not working, Boswell says. Rev. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Sebastian Hidalgo for NPR Katie Currid for NPR In some instances, trying to remove a covenant or its racially charged language is a bureaucratic nightmare; in other cases, it can be politically unpopular. Historian Tom Hatchett explains her neighborhood was segregated back in the early 1900s. There were forms to fill out that required her to know how property records work. In the surrounding neighborhoods north of Delmar Boulevard a racial dividing line that bisects the city the St. Louis Real Estate Exchange frantically urged white homeowners to adopt a patchwork of racially restrictive covenants or risk degrading the "character of the neighborhood." "So, restrictive covenants have had a long shadow." A view of San Diego's El Cerrito neighborhood. Im deeply grateful to all of you that shared documents, stories and other historical sources with me about this too-long-neglected part of our coastal past. Former NPR investigative intern Emine Ycel contributed to this story. hide caption. And he certainly doesn't agree with it, but "I mean, the deed is just the deed to the house. Particularly after World War II, people began moving to the North Carolina coast from all over the U.S. Amending or removing racially restrictive covenants is a conversation that is unfolding across the country. "It didn't matter," she says. But he hasn't addressed the hundreds of subdivision and petition covenants on the books in St. Louis. thanks, Mike always means a lot coming from you but now, its time to dream of other things like shad boats! While racial covenants cant be legally binding anymore, I still ask myself: to what extent has the spirit of them outlived their constitutionality? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Im still exploring North Carolinas coastal past and learning new things all the time, so if I find anything important on the history of Jim Crow and the states coastal waters, Ill be sure to add to the series in the future. I came out of 2016 thinking conversations about race in the church were not working, Boswell says. Thousands of homes in the city - maybe even yours - have discriminating language written into their original deeds. Natalie Moore covers race and class for WBEZ in Chicago. The residents of what is now a majority-Black town had pushed for decades to remove a provision barring Black and Asian people from living in the neighborhood. Once it was in vogue, people put it in their deeds and assumed that that's what their white buyers wanted. "We were told by the [homeowners association] lawyers that we couldn't block out those words but send as is," she recalled. The purpose of this strong enforcement is to maintain the original charter of the Myers Park neighborhood. In the Bay Area, real estate developer Duncan McDuffie was one of the first to create a high-end community in Berkeley and restrict residency by race, according to Gene Slater, an affordable-housing expert who works with cities and states on housing policies. Their hope was for a better life, far away from the Jim Crow laws imposed on them by Southern lawmakers. MORE INFORMATION hide caption. This is the final post in my 10-partspecial series that I am calling The Color of Water. In this series, I am exploring the history of Jim Crow and North Carolinas coastal waters, including the states forgotten history of all-white beaches, sundown towns, and racially exclusive resort communities.