Our February Spotlight on Land, Wealth, and Ownership


** February 2022
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** How a History of Stolen Land Shapes Us Today
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Olayinka Credle, Program Director

Dear John,

Worldwide, we lose 150 acres per minute. That equals 3.36 million hectares (8.3 million acres) a year—an area larger than New Jersey. In America’s Black communities, 30,000 acres of land ownership are lost per year. Let that sink in for a minute. ([link removed])

Jillian Hishaw, a Common Future network leader and Bridge Fellow ([link removed]) , recently published Systematic Land Theft ([link removed]) , a book which documents the history of land theft in Black and Indigenous communities. The book highlights which laws and broken treaty agreements have led to the current state of America’s farmland: 95% white-owned. “The most tangible asset in the world is land, and with land comes the building of subdivisions, windmills, and extraction of minerals,” Jillian explains.

What’s more, land theft is not the only way wealth is being stolen. A recent 2018 study ([link removed]) found that owner-occupied homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 on average, amounting to $156 billion in cumulative losses. From land ownership to home ownership, there is a clear connection between the health and prosperity of black communities in this country—and that connection is historical theft.

As we wrap up the commemoration of Black history this month, we must take a step back and ask ourselves this fundamental question: how can we celebrate the history of our ancestors while neglecting to secure the very futures they died fighting for? At Common Future, our resounding answer is that we secure that future by fighting against the legacy of systemic land theft and oppression, by incubating, cocreating, and funding ideas that shift capital and restore community wealth. In this newsletter you will read about the legacy of land theft ([link removed]) , my personal c ([link removed]) onnection ([link removed]) to the fight against stolen land, and learn how BIPOC leaders ([link removed]) are challenging land theft today.
* The Legacy of Land Theft and its Impact on BIPOC Community Wealth ([link removed])
* How BIPOC Leaders Are Challenging Land Theft ([link removed])
* A Childhood Home, Stolen ([link removed])

In love and power,
We hope you’ll take this time to reflect with us and share what we’re doing to create a more inclusive economy. Like the stories you read? Share them with your network on social and be sure to tag @commonfutureco ([link removed]) .
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** Continued Reading
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* Jillian Hishaw: ​​Systematic Land Theft ([link removed])
* Insider: Black homes in Minneapolis are worth around $33,000 less than white ones. Here's how one expert says racism devalues black neighborhoods across the country. ([link removed])
* Teen Vogue: What Is the Land Back Movement? A Call for Native Sovereignty and Reclamation ([link removed])
* The Hill:Historic beachfront property returned to Black family 100 years after it was seized ([link removed].)
* Vox: The theft of Native Americans' land, in one animated map ([link removed])
* Pro Publica: Their Family Bought Land One Generation After Slavery. The Reels Brothers Spent Eight Years in Jail for Refusing to Leave It. ([link removed])
* The Atlantic: The Great Land Robbery ([link removed])
* The Root: Black Homeownership at a 10-Year Low According to New Report ([link removed])

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