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July 14, 2025

Do You Live in A House With A Racial Covenant?

City Cast Madison

Do You Live in A House With A Racial Covenant?

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If you rent or own a house in the Madison area, your home may have a discriminatory racial covenant in its deed. Dane County officials have identified around 4,000 properties with deeds that have outdated language prohibiting people from certain races and ethnic backgrounds from buying or freely occupying the property. To better understand this issue, host Bianca Martin talks to producer Jade Iseri-Ramos about her recent experience amending her own home’s deed and denouncing its racial covenant. Then Bianca speaks to the executive director of the Dane County Historical Society, Rick Bernstein, about the history of this racist housing practice and to Dane County Executive Melissa Agard about how residents can take action.

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