Registration is required.

Does the deed to your home have a clause restricting all “non-Caucasians’ from living in it? If so, this workshop gives you the tools needed to file a Racial Covenant Amendment Form.

Historically, racially restrictive covenants were legal agreements written into property deeds and plat maps that prohibited people of certain racial and ethnic backgrounds from owning or occupying properties. This practice was part of a broader system of racial segregation that persisted throughout the early and mid-20th century in the United States. Although these covenants were declared unenforceable by the Supreme Court in 1948 and were rendered illegal by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, their remnants persist in property records today. 

The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Racial Covenants Project is a groundbreaking research initiative that emerged from a need to address historical racial injustices embedded in property records. The project formally began following the passage of Washington State’s SHB 1335 (2021–2022). This important piece of legislation assigned EWU and the University of Washington (UW) with the task of locating and informing homeowners of racially restrictive property covenants recorded in property documents.

In this workshop, a member of the EWU Racial Covenants Project team informs interested homeowners and homebuyers how to file a Racial Covenant Amendment form with their county Auditor’s office. A notary public and Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton will be on hand to assist with the process.

To find out if your home is one of the more than 6,400 in Spokane County with a racially restricting covenant, visit: https://ewuracialcovenants.org/map/. 

This presentation is offered in collaboration with EWU Racial Covenants Project and the Spokane County Auditor's Office.