Unjust Deeds: A History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond

Racial covenants were a 20th century method of enforcing segregation with deed restrictions on property; Dane County was not immune from this form of racism. The Dane County Historical Society has created a traveling exhibit, “Unjust Deeds,” that details the findings of a historical study undertaken by Dane County Planning and Development and community partners. The exhibit will be at various libraries around the county for the next year, and currently is at Belleville Library through March. DCHS executive director Rick Bernstein will talk and present a slide show about the history at 6 p.m. on March 20. Find a list of future library stops at danecountyhistory.org/racial-covenants.

media release: Dane County Planning and Development has worked with several partners to uncover, develop, and present racially and ethnically restrictive covenants. While the full breadth of data analysis is yet to be completed, what has been verified will be presented as part of the Dane County Historical Society’s traveling exhibit about the History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Madison.

Beginning in the early 1900s in developing areas, racial covenants were an insidious tool for racially restricting home sales and segregating residential neighborhoods. A single well-worded sentence on the land deed could invoke government's police powers in enforcing racial segregation. In 1928, a Chicago Real Estate Board is credited with saying that restrictive covenants were "like a marvelous delicately woven chain of armor [excluding] any member of a race not Caucasian." By 1940, 40% of homes in Chicago and Los Angeles were covered by a racial covenant.

The exhibit's 14 pull-up banners and will be displayed in 12 libraries, starting with Monona Library to coincide with Black History. The subsequent events are as follows:

• Belleville Public Library - March 2025 ("Unjust Deeds: A History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond," talk by Rick Bernstein, 6 pm, 3/20; register here)
• Waunakee Public Library - April 2025 (reception 6:30 pm, 4/17)
• Cross Plains Public Library - May 2025 (reception 1 pm, 5/3)
• Marshall Public Library - June 2025 (reception 1 pm, 6/21)
• Mt. Horeb Public Library - July 2024 (reception 6:30 pm, 7/21)
• Bookmobile - August 2025 (reception Tuesday August 5 in Cottage Grove, Monday, August 11 in Shorewood Hills, and Tuesday August 19 in Maple Bluff. 7:00)
• Verona Public Library -  Sept. 2025 (reception 1:30 pm, 9/20)
• Sequoya Library, Madison - Oct. 2025 (time TBA, 10/6)
• Mazomanie Library - November 2025
• Oregon Public Library - December 2025 (reception 1 pm, 12/13)
• Middleton Public Library - January 2026 (reception 6 pm, 1/22)

Interested in hosting the exhibit in 2026? Contact Executive Director Rick Bernstein. Mr. Bernstein is available to make a presentation in conjunction with the exhibit or elsewhere, to provide greater context and background about the history of racial covenants locally and beyond.

The Dane County Historical Society is a 501(c)3 private non-profit established in 1961. Its mission is to preserve and promote Dane County's history. To find out more, go to www.danecountyhistory.org.

To learn more about the County-wide Mapping Prejudice Project visit here.