Nevada History: On The GO! – Racist Covenants Research Project (Off-site, SVL)

August 1, 2026
1 to 2:30 pm Sierra View Library

Reno Sanborn Map, 1906

Speaker: Dr. Christopher L. Von Nagy, Public History, UNR, Co-Director RCRP

Title of Talk: Racist Covenants Research Project

Summary of Talk: The Racist Covenants Research Project (RCRP) is an interdisciplinary working group at the University of Nevada, Reno, housed in the History Department and funded by grants, private donations, and state appropriations. Our mission is to document and understand structural racism, beginning with investigating, mapping, interpreting and educating about racist restrictive covenants – provisions in property deeds that historically prevented people of color from owning or occupying homes in neighborhoods of their choice. Our scholarly work as historians, oral historians, geographers, journalists, and educators contributes to the State of Nevada’s efforts to redact historically racist language from real estate documents while preserving the record that such racist provisions existed.

Racist covenants, laws against interracial marriage, formal and de facto segregation in education, occupation, restaurants, lodging, and casinos are part of Nevada’s history. Working with academic experts, volunteers, and community partners, we seek to explore and interpret the implications of racist practices in the past and to investigate their impact on contemporary conditions, including zoning practices and the racial wealth gap.

Dr. Christopher Von-Nagy

Speaker Bio:
Von Nagy is interested in the multi-faceted public communication of the humanities, how humanities research is and can be interpreted to diverse audiences, and how various communities use and understand sites, monuments, and stories. He is a practicing anthropological archaeologist and public historian. Von Nagy has taught at both university and secondary levels and has a particular interest in place-based and experiential learning. He has also worked in curatorial roles. Von Nagy received an A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley, with a focus on environmental archaeology and a Ph.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans, specializing in the anthropology and archaeology of Ancient Middle America.

Mission of Project:
The Racist Covenants Research Oral History Project and the Shared History Program at the University of Nevada, Reno, seek to record and archive oral histories from members of Nevada’s diverse communities about their experiences with and perspectives on housing, the meaning of home, and community, both historically and in the present. To learn more, Racist Covenants Research Project, The University of Nevada, Reno

We would like to thank our partner, the Washoe County Library System and the Sierra View Library for hosting our off-site lectures.

Sierra View Library has been serving communities from Midtown to South Reno since 1987. Located inside the Reno Town Mall, directly across from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, the library has two entrances. The front entrance allows visitors to stroll by shops and businesses in the mall, while the second entrance is accessible from the rear, south side of the mall. This back entrance has an ADA accessible lift. The address is 4001 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502.