The City of Plymouth is set to host a free Just Deeds informational event 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 29 at the Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave. N.

Community members can learn about racial covenants and housing inequities, as well as ask questions. The event will feature speakers from the City of Plymouth, Just Deeds, Habitat for Humanity and Free the Deeds. Residents with discriminatory covenants on their deeds may begin the removal process at the event.

Light refreshments will be served. There is no cost to attend the event, but registration is encouraged. To RSVP, visit plymouthmn.gov/justdeeds.

Just Deeds Background

The City of Plymouth joined the Just Deeds coalition in fall of 2023 to help Plymouth residents to remove discriminatory covenants from property deeds at no cost to the property owner.

Just Deeds is a group of real estate professionals, lawyers, advocates and community members in Minnesota working together to acknowledge and address systemic racism in housing.

In the early 20th century, real estate developers included discriminatory covenants in deeds to prevent a property from being sold, leased or occupied based on race, religion or ethnicity. Although legally unenforceable following the Fair Housing Act of 1968, many of these covenants remain on deeds today.

According to data by Mapping Prejudice, a University of Minnesota research project, there are more than 24,000 racial covenants included in property deeds in Hennepin County. When Plymouth joined Just Deeds last fall, Mapping Prejudice had identified 245 racial covenants in property deeds in the city.

Residents who learn their property deed has a discriminatory covenant can begin the free process of discharging it with the assistance of the City of Plymouth and Just Deeds. The process adds a statement to the property title that rejects the language of the discriminatory covenant.

For more information about Just Deeds, visit plymouthmn.gov/justdeeds.