Since the 20th century, racial housing covenants and restrictive deeds have been an integral part of real estate and a major tool for covert segregation. Housing segregation perpetuated by racial-housing covenants has affected access to wealth, schools, and determination of other socio-economic factors. Covenants existed in cities all over America, and students will have the opportunity to research their breadth and implications in these activities, Although restrictive deeds used a variety of language, ranging from explicitly restricting Asian-American ethnicities, to restricting all non-Caucasian people in general, this lesson plan will specifically focus on their role in segregating Asian-American communities.

*Teacher Note: A vast majority of the restrictive deeds include racist language and outdated terms. Please refrain from speaking these words out loud or encouraging students to read them out loud.