Vallejo Museum Unveils Exhibit on Historical Housing Discrimination

As Black History Month concludes, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum has unveiled a permanent exhibit dedicated to the legacy of racial discrimination in housing, specifically focusing on the practice of redlining. This initiative aims to educate visitors about the restrictive housing policies that shaped Vallejo and similar communities throughout the United States in the early to mid-1900s.

According to Paul Goodrum, the museum’s curator and project manager, the exhibit serves as a crucial reminder of a dark chapter in local history. He stated, “Making it permanent will preserve a fundamental piece of Vallejo history that is not positive but can’t be forgotten.” The exhibit illustrates how these racially restrictive housing projects explicitly barred non-white residents, a practice that has had lasting repercussions on community demographics.

Historical research into newspaper advertisements and Solano County deed records reveals that at least twelve major developments in Vallejo enforced racial restrictions. Collectively, these projects were designed to accommodate approximately 3,500 homes. Notably, many of these subdivisions were located on the east side of Interstate 80, including areas such as Steffan Manor and Liberty Heights. On the west side, similar restrictions were placed in neighborhoods like Vista de Vallejo and Fairmont Gardens.

The language used in these housing covenants starkly reflects the era’s racial attitudes. For instance, a clause from the Highway Homes subdivision stated, “Neither said real property nor any interest therein, nor improvements thereon, shall be used or occupied by any member of other than Caucasian Race.” Such discriminatory practices were not isolated to Vallejo; they were widespread across the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.

The situation began to shift with the landmark 1948 Supreme Court case, Shelley v. Kraemer, which unanimously declared that courts could not enforce racial covenants. Despite this ruling, author Richard Rothstein pointed out in his book, *The Color of Law*, that federal agencies continued to perpetuate redlining practices, delaying true integration in the housing market for decades.

By 1960, U.S. Census data revealed stark racial demographics in Vallejo. The city was approximately 80 percent white and 16.5 percent Black, with the east side’s Castlewood Gardens being almost entirely white at 99.4 percent. In sharp contrast, the Country Club Crest neighborhood, developed in the 1950s for African Americans, was 91.5 percent Black.

Recent demographic shifts indicate significant changes over the years. A report by the National Demographics Corp. based on the 2020 Census shows that the East Vallejo region now comprises a voting-age population that is 27 percent white, 16 percent Black, 11 percent Hispanic-Latino, and 43 percent Asian-Pacific Islander. The north side of Vallejo has also diversified, with a population that is 16 percent white, 25 percent Black, 33 percent Asian-Pacific Islander, and 23 percent Hispanic-Latino.

While the discriminatory language in historical housing covenants is no longer enforceable, experts like Rothstein argue that they have contributed to a persistent wealth gap affecting people of color. Those who were systematically excluded from the housing market missed opportunities to build home equity, which is often a crucial pathway to generational wealth.

In California, a process established in **2000** allows homeowners to file documents that remove the racial language from their property titles. The original covenants remain on record, but the new documents aim to clarify the discriminatory nature of such restrictions and affirm the changes in societal values.

The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum’s initiative to highlight these issues reflects a broader movement to confront uncomfortable historical truths. As Vallejo continues to evolve into one of the most diverse cities in the United States, the exhibit serves as a critical reminder of the past and a call to recognize the ongoing impact of these historical injustices.