People buy homes on Edmund Blvd in Minneapolis because it’s a beautiful street, but they discover it has an ugly past. The street was named after Edmund Walton, a developer who not only instituted racially-restrictive covenants on Edmund Blvd and the surrounding neighborhood, but also excluded people of color from living or owning property in numerous developments throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities. 

Edmund Walton played a pivotal role in segregating our city by race. Racial covenants, together with discriminatory lending practices, led to low home ownership by people of color and an inability to build household wealth, problems which persist today (source: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Systemic racism haunts homeownership rates in Minnesota, February 25, 2021). 

It’s time we confront this legacy and take steps toward equity and unity. Renaming Edmund Blvd is not about erasing a racist past. It’s about acknowledging the past, learning from it, and moving forward as an inclusive community. 

We call upon the City Council of Minneapolis to rename Edmund Blvd as a symbol of the city’s commitment to equality and justice for all residents. Please sign this petition if you believe no neighborhood should bear the name of a person who promoted racism and segregation. MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENTS: Please additionally fill out this petition so we can document local support: https://forms.gle/p2Z4RJyoZGEUGKv6A