Racial covenants are a type of property restriction that prevented people of color from buying, or living in, homes in certain neighborhoods. Though ruled illegal and unenforceable in 1968, many racial covenants remain on the books. In 2021, Washington State passed SHB 1335 to identify and locate all the racially restrictive covenants in the state and to inform property owners of options for remediation. Eastern Washington University is combing through the plats and deeds of the 20 counties of eastern Washington. These maps are the results of that research.
Latest News
See Archived News- Racial Covenants Inlander ArticleInlander article on racial covenants in Eastern Washington.
- Columbia Basin Herald: Righting a WrongColumbia Basin Herald reporter Joel Matin covers the work of the EWU Racial Covenants Project with a focus on the Columbia Basin.
- CWU Archivists and students search Washington land deeds for racial covenantsCentral Washington University Observer: CWU Archivists and students search Washington land deeds for racial covenants