The mission of SEGREGATED UPSTATE is to inform the public about racial covenants, their widespread historical use in Upstate New York during the Twentieth Century, and the ways in which they were used to intentionally segregate many communities across the state -- many impacts of which can still be seen today.

 

This website is not intended to be a comprehensive record of every racial covenant in deeds and other real property records across the state.  Rather, it is meant to be a clearing house of available data related to the historical use of racial covenants in Upstate New York, which here is defined as the portion of New York State north of Orange and Westchester counties.

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The website is also meant to inspire citizens, elected officials, policy makers, students, teachers, and researchers and to conduct similar research in their own communities and add to this growing body of knowledge.  Ultimately, the aim of this research is to cast a light on a mostly forgotten, neglected, overlooked, or discounted -- but widespread -- tool for segregation, discrimination, and structural racism that has left an indelible mark on neighborhoods and lives, and denied so many their opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

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© MAY 2026