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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, and the Black community in Ocoee, Florida, 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 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, 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 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 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 and in national publications. 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
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