WASHINGTON -- If you live in Prince George's County, there is the possibility your home could be tied to a racist practice of the past.
Stuart Eisenberg, the executive director of the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation (HCDC), is exploring the historical use of restrictive deed covenants in Hyattsville.
Such covenants are clauses in deeds and leases that dictate what property owners can do with their land when it is transferred to them from another party.
Many covenants created during the early 1900's included racist and segregationist requests that barred property owners from leasing or selling their homes to minorities.
"The language was 'no colored people', 'no Negroes' or 'Caucasians only," Eisenberg said. "One really offensive term I've come across said 'no Mongoloids'. And, certainly, 'no Jews.'"
Eisenberg said these demands can still be found in titles to Hyattsville homes. He said he believes there could be up to 3,000 racist and segregationist covenants in that Prince George's County community alone.
Eisenberg added that similar covenants have also been found in Capitol Heights, University Park, Mt. Ranier, Bladensburg, Colmar Manor and Cottage City.
"It's certainly the case that many emerging municipalities, in Maryland, in the 20th century, consciously excluded black people," he said.
While the covenants exist, they cannot be enforced. The Supreme Court case, Shelley v. Kraemer, ruled their usage unenforceable in 1948. The Fair Housing Act eventually made discriminatory housing practices illegal twenty years later.
However, Eisenberg, and a team of volunteers, continue to conduct title searches for racist covenants in archives and databases because of the country's unpredictable legal future.
"Under an odd confluence of circumstances, a movement in this country could become re-enforceable with a reinterpretation of the law," he said.
The HCDC's effort is apart of a larger collaboratory project with Joe's Movement Emporium in Hyattsville called "Mapping Racism." It includes a series of workshops, dance, music and theatrical experiences that focus on racial experiences.
Eisenberg's specific undertaking will unfold in two phases.
The deed to Hyattsville's Magruder Park requested the park be used by the city's white inhabitants only.
The first, ongoing phase of the project involves identifying and copying as many covenants tied to local properties as possible. Those covenants will then, ultimately, be placed in an interactive database for the public to view.
After that, Eisenberg says he would like to examine ways the covenants could possibly be invalidated in court through the legal process.
Eisenberg does not have a set timetable as to when the project could be completed, but that has not stopped his efforts from already making an impact.
Many people around Hyattsville are now talking about restrictive deed covenants and their past use relating to current landmarks.
"I was shocked when I heard this information," said Prince George's County Councilmember Deni Taveras.
Taveras, whose district includes Hyattsville, is also currently working with several other Prince George's County councilmembers to create a task force to examine the names and backgrounds of local namesake landmarks and buildings.
"I just want to make sure the spaces are welcoming spaces for everyone," she said. "No one wants to feel that they're unwelcome."
Taveras' effort is happening at the same time the Hyattsville city council is contemplating a name change for its largest park, which is named after former local resident William Pinckney Magruder.
"The current namesake of this park, in his deed to the City of Hyattsville, requested that the utilization of the park be limited to the city's Caucasian inhabitants," said Hyattsville City Councilmember Joseph Solomon.
Solomon, who is leading the effort to rename the park, said the majority of its users are now black or Latino. He said he believes the city should move swiftly to give the land a different name.
"When I proposed this, I thought about young black and Latino children who have to grow up with a legacy that their parents couldn't necessarily change," Solomon said. "But, now we're in a time where we can change these things and we can build a future that we can all be proud of."
However, Eisenberg points out, that when it comes to covenants, it is not always clear who was responsible for placing a racist request in a document. He said his team is working to see who or what influenced the decision to place a racist covenant in the Magruder Park deed.
Either way, Solomon said he is still hopeful major progress toward his goal of renaming the park will be made over the course of the year.