DURHAM, N.C.
In a symbolic move, Duke University is waiving its decades-old rights to prohibit Blacks from purchasing property in Duke Forest.
The school has long said it wouldn’t enforce racial covenants contained in property deeds, but Duke officials say the waivers represent an important statement.
Duke President Richard H. Brodhead says each land deed is being revised to disavow language that reflected segregation and to make sure the exclusionary provisions never be revived.
Duke sold the 232 properties to faculty members between 1931 and 1969. The racial covenants in the deeds were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in 1948.
Still, the school wants to officially waive any rights it may have in Durham County.
The Associated Press
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