Racial Restrictive Covenants Project: Recent Updates June
Hello! We would like to welcome our new subscribers, especially those from the Bellevue School District. Thank you for your interest in our project!
We also post project updates on Instagram (@racialrestrictivecovenantswa).
Mapping Updates
We have recently updated our King County and Puget Sound maps to include around 10,000 new properties with confirmed restrictions. The updated maps can be found on our website.
Community Meetings
We would like to thank the following groups for inviting us to meet with them and present our research on the history of segregation in Western Washington and the role of restrictive covenants. We are always excited by opportunities to present our research, train people on how to volunteer with us, and engage in community events. For inquiries, please reach out to us at wacovenants@gmail.com.
“A Legacy of Harm: Racial Covenants in Washington State and Kitsap County” – an event hosted by Housing Resources Bainbridge and the Bainbridge Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library
The Blue Origin legal team and Davis Wright Tremaine
Eight ethnic studies classes at Lincoln High School in Wallingford, Seattle
Quixote Communities from Olympia
The Amazon legal team and Davis Wright Tremaine
Redlining Forum – an event hosted at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Capitol Hill, Seattle
News Spotlight
Isabel Smith, one of the project’s research associates, published an article with The Seattle Medium about the progress of the Covenant Homeownership Program. You can view the article entitled State Homeownership Program Could Provide Substantial Down Payment Assistance For Some on The Seattle Medium’s website.
In May 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed the Covenant Homeownership Act. The act aims to address current racial housing inequities caused by racially restrictive covenants and other forms of housing discrimination. This is facilitated by the Covenant Homeownership Program, which will provide down payment assistance to Washington homebuyers from racial groups impacted by historical housing discrimination.
On March 22, a research group commissioned by the Legislature released a study outlining recommendations for the specifics of the program that utilizes research by the Racial Restrictive Covenants Project on historical housing discrimination and its modern-day impacts.
Welcoming New Staff Members!
Amanda Miller [Project Coordinator]
Amanda graduated from UW in 2019 with a bachelor's in the History of Race, Gender, and Power and she is currently pursuing a dual master's degree in Library Information Science and Public History from Wayne State University. Her research interests include labor history and the history and legacy of colonialism in the Americas. She worked as a research associate for the Racial Restrictive Covenants and Mapping American Social Movements projects as an undergraduate and has recently rejoined the team as project coordinator, overseeing research, data development, outreach, and other activities.
Runsen Wu [Programmer]
Wu is currently a senior at UW studying computer science. In his free time, he likes to play strategy card games, sit in a cabin in the mountain (one with internet), and spend time with his partner at home. As programmer for the project, he develops and manages the computer programs that search for racial restrictions in millions of property records maintained by County Auditors.
Welcome to the team! We’re happy to have you, and we’re excited to see where you’ll take the project next.
Volunteer Updates
We now have 1,373 Zooniverse volunteers assisting us. Thank you all for your contribution to this project. We couldn’t do it without you! If you would like to contribute to the project, please check out the Volunteer page on our website. Transcribing documents on our Zooniverse page is a remote, easily accessible way to earn service hours while contributing to a ground-breaking research project. Email us at wacovenants@gmail.com with proof of your volunteer time, and we will happily sign off on hours!
Learn More About the Project
Racial Restrictive Covenants Project Website
Racial Restrictive Covenants Instagram
Learn About Volunteering Here!
Racial Restrictive Covenant Zooniverse Page