Many historic Black communities were destroyed by displacement or
racially-motivated attacks.
Friend,
Historically African American-owned parcels of land, passed down
through generations of Black families against all odds, are rare.
Many historic Black communities were destroyed by displacement or
racially motivated attacks - for example, the Tulsa, Oklahoma
massacre
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, and the Black community in Ocoee, Florida
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, which was wiped out in 1920 by a white mob. In modern times, eminent
domain is a leading cause of land loss and the loss of generational
wealth in African American communities. The few historic Black
communities that remain are facing bitter fights to preserve their
history and keep the land passed down by their ancestors.
That's why the SPLC has ramped up our support for historic Black
communities by providing legal representation, policy guidance and
communications support to uplift efforts to preserve their history and
land.
Here are a few places our work has taken us so far:
Eatonville
Eatonville, Florida, is one of the first American towns incorporated
by newly emancipated Black people and was once home to renowned Harlem
Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. In 1897, with help from Booker
T. Washington and others, Black leaders of the town established on the
site at issue the Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School for
the education of African American students, who otherwise were
afforded few, if any, educational opportunities due to their race.
A lawsuit filed by the SPLC sought to ensure that the land continues
to be used for educational and related purposes that benefit the
community. In November of last year, we celebrated a ruling in favor
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of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community that allows
our lawsuit to proceed.
Royal
Settled in the 1860s by Freedmen who obtained 40-acre or more parcels
under the Homestead Act of 1862, Royal is one of only two surviving
Black homesteading communities in the United States. In a recent
opinion
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, the National Park Service found that the central Florida community
of Royal meets the criteria for the National Register of Historic
Places.
This determination was made after evaluating the petition
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submitted by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Young
Performing Artists, Inc.
"This is about the justice of having Royal's historic
boundaries nationally recognized and correctly recorded to acknowledge
how hard our ancestors fought to keep this land," said Beverly
Steele, founder of Young Performing Artists, Inc. "Our community
has stood the test of time, and the land has passed from generation to
generation against all odds. Rosewood
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and Santos, two other Black communities in Florida, were lost. Royal
is a testament to survival."
Sparta
It was 1926 and Jim Crow reigned in the American South when James
Blaine Smith managed something rare for a Black man in the middle of
Georgia: He acquired 600 acres of land. A descendant of enslaved
people, Smith was a poor farmer living in a shack just outside a city
called Sparta. But he had big dreams for the tract he had been leasing
for years, driving a mule and growing cotton. Eventually, 97 years
ago, Smith amassed enough to trade his harvest for the land.
Present-day Sparta remains home for many members of the Smith family,
and Smiths have lived there quietly, staying close to their deeply
rooted community of mostly Black families, their church called St.
Galilee and the graveyard where their loved ones are buried.
But, Sandersville Railroad Company is threatening to use eminent
domain against property owners who have refused to sell portions of
their land for a rail spur (a separate track that is connected to the
main rail line). Distressed that what they have built over generations
could be taken against their will, residents have galvanized in
opposition to the plan.
The Southern Poverty Law Center's Economic Justice team has been
consulting with and supporting the community's campaign against
the railroad, including highlighting the issue on the SPLC website
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and in national publications
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.
Thank you for supporting the SPLC as we push forward with this
historic work to protect the lives and legacies of Black communities
in the South.
Sincerely,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.
Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?
Donate Now
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