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 Marketplace special report, 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.