In December, on a two-lane road not far from the ACE Basin, a protected ecosystem and wildlife refuge in South Carolina, Paul Black drove past St. Paul AME Church and the cemetery where his wife’s grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-grandmother are buried, then slowed as the trees opened onto the piney tract. Black is an environmental […]
Black land
Posted inClimate Change, Housing, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Wealth Gap
This Mississippi Delta Home Could Collapse Before Help Arrives
SIDON, Mississippi — Malissa Whitehead is known for making tea cakes and blueberry pies during the holidays — but as Christmas approaches, she’s uneasy about baking anything in the house she’s lived in for 40 years. The kitchen ceiling wood is peeling, revealing small holes and chipped paint. On the outside, the roof is covered […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
This Alabama Cattle Rancher Is Ready for a Legal Battle to Protect His Land
SELMA, Alabama — On a sunny, humid summer afternoon, Willie Palmer Jr. gathered his cows under a tree for feeding time. He watched as they roamed the grounds, passing by a slew of vehicles, a shed, and barn on his 20-acre property. As the animals feasted, Palmer stood quietly for a moment, taking in the […]
Posted inClimate Change, History, Rural Issues
The Army Took Their Land. Decades Later, This Black Community Still Wants It Back.
HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Ga. — Over the course of what was a scorching, yet typical May day across Coastal Georgia, Willie Moran made it a point to stop and take a deep breath at every sight of water. Looking out across the estuaries and salt marshes teeming with wildlife, he repeatedly reminded his […]
Posted inCulture, History
South Carolina’s Gullah Geechee Are Denied Their Right to Bury Their Loved Ones
For generations, Mary Mack’s family has offered free burial plots to the bereaved families on St. Helena Island. It’s an ancestral calling and a tradition. Spanning 64 square miles, the island on the coast of South Carolina is home to one of the largest remaining Gullah Geechee communities in the southeast U.S. Surrounded by creeks, […]
Posted inEminent Domain, Rural Issues
This Black Family Won’t Back Down After Court Allows Railroad to Take Their Land
Blaine and Diane Smith were hurt but unsurprised when a Georgia superior court judge ruled last week that a railroad company could seize their land, despite their refusal to sell. For nearly two years, they have been fighting to stop Sandersville Railroad Co., a 130-year-old, white-owned business, from building a 4.5-mile rail spur through a […]
Posted inUncategorized
One Family’s Journey to Reclaim Their Ancestral Land Gains Lawmakers Support
This holiday season, Candice Hammons is grateful for one of the greatest gifts she received this year: unwavering support for her family’s pursuit of their land. For the past two years, Hammons and her immediate and distant relatives have organized to take back land near Jacksonville, Texas. In 1855, her great-great-great grandfather, Albartis, or Albertis, […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Black Farmers See a Decline, Yet New Growers Stay Determined
This story was originally published on February 16, 2024, and has been updated. Land loss and discrimination haven’t stopped a new generation of young Black farmers from spearheading efforts to revitalize the industry while building a more equitable and sustainable future for their communities. In the past five years, the U.S. lost 7% of all […]
Posted inRural Issues
Locked Up and Locked Out
Pamela Barnes never thought she and her sisters would be sitting in a cold, dirty holding cell for trying to protect her family’s land. Just before sunset around 6:30 a.m., the 63-year-old gazed at the white walls’ chipped and peeling paint. Her eyes moved to the rusty, mold-covered vent above her. Her discomfort was eased […]
Posted inEminent Domain, Rural Issues
In 11 Minutes, These Black Landowners Lost Their Property to a Railroad
Landowners in a predominantly Black town in rural Georgia who have been fighting to keep their properties from falling into the hands of a railroad company were dealt another blow on Wednesday when a state regulatory authority ruled in favor of the railroad. During a Wednesday session, the Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously approved Sandersville […]
