Whiteness in Plain View: A History of Racial Exclusion in Minnesota

by Chad Montrie

Whiteness in Plain View examines the ways white residents in towns, cities, and suburbs across Minnesota acted to intimidate, control, remove, and keep out African Americans over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Their methods ranged from anonymous threats, vandalism, and mob violence to restrictive housing covenants, realtor deceit, and mortgage discrimination, and they were aided by support from local, state, and federal government agencies as well as openly complicit public officials. What they did was not an anomaly or aberration, in some particular place or passing moment, but rather common and continuous, prevalent throughout the state from decade to decade. Additionally, the all-white communities that resulted became their own justification, supporting the notion (among whites) that blacks' supposed racial failings must be what kept them out or demonstrating (to whites) that blacks wanted to live with their own race.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading "Whiteness in Plain View: A History of Racial Exclusion in Minnesota" for my S.E.E.D. group - Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity. Few of us actually finished the book. The events and ideas were not new, and the book contained minutia that was painful to get through. That is not to say, that the book is not filled with important ideas and information, because it is. But it was very dense and difficult to plod through. It has its place for sure - but wasn't a great read for this group. We did, however, have a great discussion about what is included in "history" books and what we all learned, or rather didn't learn in school. Enough said.

[Tiffany V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important content that everyone should know but sometimes the writing was hard to follow. Glad I read this book and think it’s so important to understand and acknowledge our history so as not to repeat it- so many things were done unfairly.

[Tyler Kossila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for any Minnesotan!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is Minnesota so white? The answer is not innocent. Yes, a must-read for every Minnesotan. Published by the MN Historical Society.

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not the greatest at reading academic texts but I’m interested in the topic and will push through anything in order to gain more knowledge about it.

This was a difficult book to read, reading skill wise, and maybe that’s just the style of the genre. I recall having a similar challenge when I attempted to read a book about the civil war a few years back. My reading capabilities tend more toward the mainstream level. This book had the usual, sometimes unnecessary, elevated vocabulary and run-on sentences that are common in academic texts. Also, with how the sentences are structured, it’s not an easy text to read quickly because of all the asides and random details.

That said, once I got past the parts that reminded me of the Old Testament (more on that later), I would find gold nuggets of information written in an engaging way. Each chapter had at least one nugget, some more than others, but I never knew when they would appear.

So…Old Testament. What’s that about? There were points where it felt like he just threw every little tidbit he found during research into some sections like some collage of important people that would make more sense if you had lived it. (And I did have an easier time reading the chapter about the city I grew up in because I was familiar with the information already but did learn some new stuff as well). There were few guideposts and he shifted rapidly from one noteworthy person to the next. Some only got one sentence, others got two or more. And there was much flipping back and forth when he would call back to someone briefly mentioned a page back. These were supposed to add up to show vs tell when you step back and look at it all but it’s a slog to actually read through those sections and I never quite knew what we were working toward.

The information he gathered was great and I greatly appreciate the work he put into this. I just hope that another writer can come in and write a version that’s not for academics because that would be amazing. Mainstream readers should know this stuff too.

[Marianne Carolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book addresses important history about Black exclusion in Minnesota by focusing on certain Minnesota communities and providing detailed stories and trends over time in those communities. It's not a quick read but is well-researched as demonstrated by 35 pages of notes provided at the end of the book. By focusing on specific communities, their history of settlement, economic opportunities, and local figures and stories, the author showed the similarities in White attitudes and development of Black exclusion but, also, the unique impacts on individuals and communities, depending on whether it was Austin, Duluth, Edina, St. Paul or Bloomington, and whether or not there were efforts to support or dismantle black exclusion.

[Mary Wherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the writing which could often be tedious and difficult to read.
Four stars for the content which was eye opening for anyone who thinks Minnesota has historically been a "nice" place to live, work, marry, secure housing, raise a family and feel safe for anyone who is not white.
I had no idea how long racism and prejudice against many people has been carried out in so many ways.
My required Minnesota history course and book did not the cover facts and events recounted in this book.

[Matt Sutera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction that I picked up at Birchbark. Definitely an important read. Taught me a lot about the history of Minnesota as it pertains to how Whites have ignored racism because they thought they were better than the South. My lower rating is because this was quite dense and it was a slog to read. Certain parts were bogged down by the authors choice to almost use an almanac approach and list off specific people and where they lived, etc. This was fine, but definitely glazed me over. Nonetheless, I will keep the book and reference it! 3-3.5 stars.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a jaw-dropping, sobering look at racism in Minnesota. I know it exists everywhere in America but it is masked by the "Minnesota Nice" persona. Homelessness and the wealth gap are perpetuated by the "Minnesota Nice" facade. I wonder if it's possible for everyone, regardless of race, to ever be on a level playing field that would give all people an opportunity to live without fear of food, shelter and economic insecurity.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A review of pivotal 'chapters' in White settlement of Minnesota, racism and its impact and White 'misremembering' of that history. His point is that this is both a strategy to avoid hard discussions and actions to address the impact of past racist policies and attitudes and the racism of today. Found the chapter on 'redevelopment' in 1950s St. Paul's Black neighborhood particularly informative.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be a four, but the writing was hard slogging. The material deserved better.

The content is emotionally challenging.

The chapter about Rondo neighborhood's near erasure was heartbreaking and coupled with the Mapping Prejudice project at the University of Minnesota Libraries I came away with a revised attitude about urban renewal.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Montrie points out, most of discussion of historical racism focuses on the egregious offenses of the South. However, the subtle, polite racism of the North impacted people just as significantly.

His movement through time helped paint a picture of trends, and explains why Minnesota remains one of the whitest states in the country.

[Jamele]

Every Minnesotan should read this. Amazing

[Sarah ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/5 for content-every state needs a book like this. The academic writing and paragraphs contain lists that can be hard to follow.

[Amelious Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible read about how systemic racism and individual prejudice combined to exclude Black people and other non whites from many places in Minnesota.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized and researched historiography that SHOULD already be in America's memory of our history. Racism does not discriminate regions of our nations. The story of Minneosta's is an eye opener!

[Maggy Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really important topic for all Minnesotans. I just had a hard time with the writing style. Would still recommend it!