Unlocking the Gates: How the North Star State Pioneered Structural Housing Discrimination in America
In 1948, a young couple set out to do what was considered a rite of passage for many middle-class Americans at the time – they bought land in a leafy suburb, built their dream home and left the city. James and Frances Hughes had no idea that their move to this part of Minnesota would motivate segregationists to ramp up housing restrictions.
In this limited Marketplace series, Host Lee Hawkins investigates how a secret nighttime business deal unlocked the gates of a community called Maplewood for dozens of Black families seeking better housing, schools, and safer neighborhoods. His own family included. Hawkins returns to the place where he grew up to discover that state officials were instrumental in the practice of adding clauses to property deeds specifying that it could be held only by white people. These clauses or covenants as they are known, set the stage for other kinds of discrimination including redlining, which has exacerbated the racial wealth gap.
Unlocking The Gates highlights the stories of families collaborating and overcoming discrimination in real estate and banking. They include executives, entrepreneurs, musicians, at least one NFL star and a former US Presidential hopeful. Many have inherited wealth from property investments and have been able to establish financial security for their families. As Lee Hawkins tours his childhood neighborhood and hometown, he reflects on this duality. Minnesota, like the rest of the country is grappling with a housing affordability crisis. His reporting is more relevant than ever to state officials and business leaders working to address inequity that keeps people locked out of the property market. As part of this special series, he’ll learn more about their efforts.
ContentDepot File Transfer
Preview audio available: January 13, 2025
Promo spot available: January 10, 2025
Program rundown available: January 22, 2025
Date content will be available: January 29, 2025
Broadcast Window
January 29, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Broadcast Rights
Affiliate stations may carry this program multiple times before April 1, 2025. The program must be carried in its entirety. No excerpting is permitted. Simulcast streaming rights are available for this program. Prior to carrying this program, stations must contact their station relations representative.
Lee Hawkins
Lee Hawkins is an American investigative journalist and author, who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022. His work documents the lives of Black American descendants of slavery and survivors of Jim Crow, focusing on the intergenerational impact of racial violence and racism on their families. His reporting addresses individuals affected by multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences, exploring childhood trauma and its long-term effects on health and life expectancy. Hawkins's speeches examine the enduring impact of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and integration on the Black family and America as a whole. He aims to facilitate truth, reconciliation, and healing between Black and white families with legacies on opposite sides of slavery, drawing on his experiences with his newly discovered white cousins.
His book, NOBODY’S SLAVE: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free (HarperCollins, January 2025), is an introspective journey into his family history, tracing its roots back to pre-Revolutionary America. Utilizing genetic testing, investigative reporting, and historical documentation, Mr. Hawkins explores 400 years of his family’s lineage, revealing the intertwined lives of Black and white families, their resilience, sufferings, and the impact of historical trauma. This personal exploration serves as a broader commentary on the significance of genealogical research in healing and bridging racial divides in contemporary America. Mr. Hawkins is the series creator, co-executive producer, and host of the podcast ‘What Happened in Alabama?’ for APM Studios.
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