A new Connecticut law creates a process for residents to remove racially restrictive provisions from their house deeds.
Fred Ware became the first person to take advantage of the bill. On Tuesday, he removed a racially restrictive covenant from the deed for his property in Manchester.
Fred Ware’s son, David Ware, was a law student when he and his father found language in the house deed that barred people of color from using or occupying the property. David Ware then worked with his local legislators to create the new bill.
“It was just morally and legally wrong. We needed to say so, and we needed the records to reflect that. We needed the records to be current and accurate and complete on the subject of these racially restrictive covenants,” David Ware said.
While it became federally unlawful to enforce these covenants in 1948, many old deeds still retain restrictive language based on race or religion.