Two UWM researchers are uncovering the history of covenants language added to deeds stipulating that only white people could own or live on a property. Covenants were commonplace by the turn of the 20th century. Their use declined in the 1950s when they were no longer enforceable, though covenants did help to shape what housing in Milwaukee looks like today.
On this episode of Curious Campus, we talk with Anne Bonds, associate professor of geography, and Derek Handley, assistant professor of English, about their project, “Mapping Racism and Resistance in Milwaukee County.” They’re studying the history and impact of covenants, as well as the precedent that protests to covenants set for today’s racial equity movements.
