Bending the Arc

Since the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last U.S. slave state on June 19, 1865, the struggle for Black freedom, reparations, and sovereignty has remained as relevant as ever. In the last century, Black land ownership plummeted from a total of 15 million acres in 1907 to only 2.4 million in 1997, as a result of systemic discrimination, racist land use policies and more.

Today, we honor the ongoing struggle for Black liberation and land justice by introducing the work of Black Land and Power, an initiative of the National Black Food & Land Justice Alliance.
The Black Land and Power (BLP) project works to deepen collective visioning and strategies toward Black land retention, recovery, stewardship, and defense. Black land, safe space, and the means for self-determination continue to be assaulted and undermined, thus the need to form an organized, multifaceted response is urgent.

Black Land and Power aims to save 15 million acres of land from the speculative market for the benefit of Black farmers and land stewards. Right now, they are raising $150,000 in their first social media fundraising campaign, #defendblackland.They are more than a third of the way there with a little over a week left!

The CSA JPIC Office has proudly made a donation to Black Land & Power. We hope others will consider doing the same! Donate here.