Segregation - Oakland

The legacy of segregation remains in Oakland today...

"San Leandro in particular was very aggressive in using restrictive covenants to make sure no black East Oaklanders spilled over into its borders. As quoted here:

M. C. Friel and Associates, a Hayward real estate firm with expertise in racial covenants, became the East Bay's leading consultant on shoring up segregation. In 1947 Friel developed a plan to place as much of San Leandro's residential property under restrictive covenants as possible, limiting future property sales to "members of the Caucasian race."

The consequences of the above quote can be seen in today's Oakland San Leandro Border.

may also want to check out Lakeshore Homes Association- pretty sure there was segregation built into that area. There was, but it was far from alone in that respect. This page needs to mention the general practice of redlining. Check out the T-RACES website for an Oakland/Berkeley map.

There are lots of places in Oakland (such as the Claremont area where I live) where the original CC&Rs contained blanket restrictions against colored people -- such as the one mentioned in this article (regarding an attempt at enforcing a residency restriction in the Claremont area limiting occupancy to persons with "pure Caucasian blood"). My Jewish wife and son absolutely could not live in our house if those CC&Rs were valid, and I'm not sure I can prove that my Caucasian ancestry is "pure" enough.