Historic African American Walks in Minneapolis East 38th Street

The East 38th Street community is rich with history. African-American entrepreneurs, civic/community/faith leaders, home builders, and architects all contributed to the Minneapolis we know today. From the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the oldest Black-owned business in Minnesota, to the home of Lena Olive Smith, the first Black female lawyer in the State of Minnesota, to Sabathani Community Center, a Black-led non-profit serving the community for over 50 years, there is much to explore.

Discriminatory housing practices, restrictive deed covenants and red-lining are part of the recent history of Minneapolis with present-day impacts. As recently as the 1950s, banks and the Federal Housing Administration refused to provide mortgages for homes outside of established Black neighborhoods such as those near the E. 38th Street and 4th Avenue corridors. Tilsenbilt homes, a group of over 50 homes just south of the E. 38th Street Corridor, were constructed in the 1950s with the help of realtor and philanthropist Archie Givens, Sr. Tilsenbilt Homes are believed to be the first federally-supported residential housing development in the United States that was open to homebuyers of all races.

The tour is led by Judge LaJune Thomas Lange, retired who serves as the President and lead history researcher for the International Leadership Institute. She will share special insights from growing up in the neighborhood she calls"Black Wall Street " because of the impressive political and financial impact.

The tour will walk less than two miles.