Photo caption: THE ELY FAMILY gathers showing a great connection around their heirs’ property.
“Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land” brings awareness to the complex history of the American Black farmer and the devastating impact of heirs’ property. John Deere and Al Roker Entertainment created this film, which will be screened on Saturday, November 4, at 11:45 a.m., and Tuesday, November 7, at 5:45 p.m. as part of the Black Harvest Film Festival.
For background, Black farmers in the United States lost nearly 90 percent of their farmland during the 20th century. Violence, eminent domain, and government discrimination all had a part to play, but a little-known issue called heirs’ property also devastated Black land ownership.
Heirs’ property refers to land passed to family members by inheritance without a clear title, leading to shared ownership, vulnerabilities to outsiders taking over, and preventing families from building generational wealth.
For Black farmers, owning land isn’t just about preserving the soil. It’s also about preserving the culture and history that’s forged into it that these farmers worked so incredibly hard to attain.
Emmy-nominated director Eternal Polk presents a comprehensive study of how in some cases, Blacks may not be interested in farming because of the stigma of slavery and images of tilling the white man’s property.
But on the other hand, heirs’ property, if utilized efficiently and for the good of one family—without the contentious issue of a member selling out—can be a profitable venture.
However, the idea of an owner leaving his land to family members was a great notion at one time, given that there were maybe only 10 family members at the time. But with ever growing families, often this awarding of property can be troublesome.
“Heirs’ property is the main cause of involuntary land loss for Black landowners today. It’s a huge challenge for Black families regarding their most valuable resource,” Tharlyn Fox, LEAP Coalition Manager, Deere & Company.
This is a great feature about the importance of land ownership particularly as it concerns Black farmers in America.
Members talked about the Federation of Southern Cooperative and Land Assistance Fund’s fight to try to keep Black farmers and their land.
One of the Fund’s aims is to reverse the trend of Black land loss and encourage land-based economic development through outreach, education, and direct technical assistance.
For example, there were a million Black farmers in 1920, and there are fewer than 10,000 presently, according to the documentary.
It’s important to consider the value of land, the greed, the money. Land represents generational wealth.
Even harvesting garlic in a farm can reap a nice annual passive income.
This film highlighted the work of Charles and Shirley Sherrod, who assisted Blacks and other members of the Albany Movement by pioneering the land trust movement in the U.S.
Karen Washington and the Garden of Happiness, honey bee farmer Decton Hylton, Danita Mason Hogans, Professor Thomas Mitchell, Philip Haynie III of the National Black Growers Council, and others provided content to persuade Blacks to hold onto and try to harvest land, whether individually or as a collective.
“Land isn’t a liability, it’s an asset that can connect families.”
“It’s not just a legal story. It’s not just an economic story. It’s a people story. It’s a family story…”
Al Roker, Executive Producer, “Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land.”
Take a look at the trailer: https://vimeo.com/805285504.
