A Reckoning with History: The Mapping Prejudice Project (Marcy 55+)

Lifelong Learning 55+ / Adventures in Learning -

Lifelong Learning 55+ Spring 2023

The Mapping Prejudice project began in 2016 as an experiment to identify and map racial covenants. These clauses were embedded into property deeds to bar people who were not white from buying or even occupying the parcels of land to which they were attached. Covenants were made illegal by the 1968 Fair Housing Act. But their legacy continues today in the Twin Cities, which has some of the largest racial disparities in the country. The Mapping Prejudice Project is designed to reveal the “racism behind these racial disparities,” in the words of Ibram Kendi. It illuminates how structural racism shaped the urban landscape, blocking African Americans from critical avenues for housing stability and wealth accumulation. Gillette will illuminate how racial covenants underlaid housing policies that constructed racial inequalities over the last century. Together we’ll explore taking next steps to address the damage wrought by these policies.

Co-sponsored by Minneapolis Community Education and Southeast Seniors.

Rebecca Gillette

Rebecca Gillette is the Community Engagement Lead-Associate Director of Mapping Prejudice and a third generation Minneapolitan. She is a Boston University graduate and holds an M.A. from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining Mapping Prejudice, Rebecca was the Manager of Community Engagement at the Minnesota Historical Society. She focused on supporting community initiatives defined and designed by Black leaders and community organizations.

April 2023