ANN ARBOR – People living in an Ann Arbor subdivision have been living with a dark and racist piece of history on the deeds of their home. While it hasn’t been enforced for decades, the people living there took action to end it.
In 1947, the developer for the Hannah Subdivision in Ann Arbor put in place a racially restrictive covenant that states, “No persons of any race other than Caucasian race shall use or occupy any building on any lot.”
“The exception is for domestic servants living with white people,” said Michael Steinberg in a press conference Thursday (Feb. 24). “If you read your closing packet, this statement, in essence, is still part of your home, and it’s not going to make you feel very welcomed.”
Steinberg is the director of the University of Michigan Law School’s Civil Rights Litigation Initiative.
CRLI, along with a group of Washtenaw County students, residents, and community activists called Justice InDeed are researching the racially restrictive covenants in local home deeds. They reached out to people living in the Hannah Subdivision to see if they wanted to be part of their pilot program where they repeal the covenant.
Erica Briggs, a member of Ann Arbor City Council, said she knew similar restrictions existed but didn’t realize they were on her deed.
“My own household right now has an African American boy living with us and someone from Pakistan, and it’s interesting to realize, even household arrangements we have going on in our household right now wouldn’t work,” Briggs said.
The covenant’s legacy still lingers.
CRLI argues that it causes stigmatic harm and discourages people from moving in; that’s why they’re pushing for change.
“Racially restricted covenants and the plethora of other discriminatory housing measures has caused generations of people of color to lose out on generation wealth and opportunity,” Steinberg said.
Briggs said, “There’s a home in the process of being sold in our neighborhood. That language, until this gets filed and put into place, is there, and it’s a slap in the face to any person considering purchasing this home.”
To repeal the covenant and replace it with language banning discrimination, they needed 50% of the neighborhood’s homeowners to sign the amendment.
Student attorney with CRLI and Justice InDeed, Nina Gerdes, said it took a lot of canvassing the subdivision and a few neighborhood meetings to make it happen.
“Over 85% of the neighborhood have signed on to changing this language and affirming their values,” said Gerdes.
Shortly after that press conference, the group went to the Washtenaw County Register of Deeds Office to turn in the signatures. There are 121 neighborhoods in Washtenaw County that still have racially restrictive covenants.
Gerdes said they are already helping other neighborhoods across Metro Detroit.
Press Release by brandon carr on Scribd