Name: Black People Own Less of the U.S. than 100 Years Ago. A ‘Black Commons’ Could Help Reverse the Trend
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Black People Own Less of the U.S. than 100 Years Ago. A ‘Black Commons’ Could Help Reverse the Trend

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This Thursday night, join us live online to celebrate 46 years of muck-racking, truth-telling journalism at the In These Times anniversary celebration, featuring Adam McKay, writer and director of "Don't Look Up." Underlying the recent unrest sweeping U.S. cities over police brutality is a&nbsp; in wealth, land and power that has circumscribed black lives since the end of slavery in the U.S.The ​” promised to formerly enslaved Africans never came to pass. There was no redistribution of land, no reparations for the wealth extracted from stolen land by stolen&nbsp;labor.June is celebrated by black Americans as , marking the date in that former slaves were informed of their freedom, albeit two years after the . Coming this year at a&nbsp;time of protest over the continued police killing of black people, it provides an opportunity to look back at how black Americans were deprived of land ownership and the economic power that it brings. An expanded concept of the ​black commons” – based on shared economic, cultural and digital resources as well as land – could act as one means of redress. As professors in and , our research suggests that such a&nbsp;concept could be a&nbsp;part of undoing the racist legacy of chattel slavery by encouraging economic development and creating communal&nbsp;wealth.Land grabThe proportion of the United States under black ownership has actually shrunk over .At their peak in , made up around % of all U.S. farmers, owning . By , black Americans represented just .% of the farming community, owning . million acres of land. Another study shows a&nbsp; in black farmers between , and . This contrasts sharply with an over the same&nbsp;period.In , the U.S. Department of Agriculture ascribed this decline to a&nbsp;long and ​well-documented” history of discrimination against black farmers, ranging from New Deal and USDA dating from the s to s-era exclusion from legal, title and loan&nbsp;resources.Discriminatory practices have also affected who owns property as well as land. In , the racial homeownership gap was , with .% of white Americans owning a&nbsp;home compared to .% of black Americans. This gap is even larger than it was when , which denied black residents mortgages to buy, or loans to renovate, property were&nbsp;legal.The lack of ownership is crucial to understanding the crippling economic disparity that has and continues to plague black America – making it harder to accrue wealth and pass it on to future&nbsp;generations.A found that the median net worth for non-immigrant black American households in the greater Boston region was just US$, but for whites it was $,. This was due to ​general housing and lending discrimination through restrictive covenants, redlining and other lending&nbsp;practices.”Nationally, between and , median by % to $, while median white household wealth increased % to $,.Freedom farmsLand ownership today could look very different. The idea of collective ownership has a&nbsp;long history in the United States. Even during slavery, a&nbsp;piece of ground was granted by slave masters for enslaved African subsistence farming. The called this land ​the&nbsp;plot.” how that these parcels of land were transformed into communal areas where slaves could establish their own social order, sustain traditional African folklore and foodways – growing yams, cassava and sweet potatoes. Plots were often called ​,” so important was this staple&nbsp;food.The connection between food, land, power and cultural survival was subversive in its nature. By appropriating physical space to support collective growing practices within the brutal constraints of slavery, black people also demonstrated the need for common, shared mental space to enable their survival and resistance. Herbalism, medicine and midwifery, and other African American were seen as acts of resistance that were ​intimately tied to religion and community,” according to historian Sharla M.&nbsp;Fett.With the end of slavery, these plots&nbsp;disappeared.The principles of collective land ownership evolved in post-slavery black America. It was central to civil rights organizer Fannie Lou Hamer’s , a&nbsp; designed to deliver economic justice to the poorest black farmers in the American&nbsp;South.In Hamer’s view, the fight for justice in the face of oppression required a&nbsp;measure of independence that could be achieved through owning land and providing resources for the&nbsp;community.This idea of a&nbsp;black commons as a&nbsp;means of economic empowerment formed a&nbsp;focus of W.E.B. DuBois’ ​.” DuBois believed that the extreme segregation of the Jim Crow era made it necessary to in the cultural bonds between black people and that this could be achieved through cooperative&nbsp;ownership.Credit unions and&nbsp;co-opsThe accumulation of wealth was not the only desired consequence of a&nbsp;black commons.In , argued for a ​” that would create a ​new dynamic synthesis of politics, economics, and culture.” In his view, economic ventures needed to be grounded in the greater aspirations of black communities – politically, culturally and economically. This could be achieved through a&nbsp;black commons.As the political economist in reference to black , ​African Americans, as well as other people of color and low-income people, have benefited greatly from cooperative ownership and democratic economic participation throughout the nation’s&nbsp;history.”The nonprofit is working to rejuvenate the idea of black commons. In a&nbsp; statement, the ​to serve as a&nbsp;national vehicle to amass purchased and gifted lands in a&nbsp;black commons with the specific purpose of facilitating low-cost access for black Americans hitherto without such&nbsp;access.”Meanwhile, shared equity housing schemes and , helping black families own property, and mitigate displacement resulting from&nbsp;gentrification.Digital commonsThe disproportionate effects of the and unrest over have highlighted deeply embedded structural racism. Organizations such as Black Lives Matter and the are demonstrating a&nbsp;renewed vigor around collective action and a&nbsp;blueprint for how this can be achieved in a&nbsp;digital age. At the same time, black Americans are also forging a&nbsp;cultural commons through events such as DJ D-Nice’s – a&nbsp; online dance party. Club Quarantine’s success indicates the potential for using online platforms to facilitate community building, pointing toward future economic&nbsp;cooperation.That’s what organizations like are trying to do. The nonprofit group uses crowdsourced funding to build community spaces in inner city areas of Indianapolis and encourage collective economic development that echoes the black commons of years&nbsp;past.The long history of racism in the United States has held back black Americans for generations. But the current soul searching over this legacy is also an unrivaled opportunity to look again at the idea of collective black action and ownership, using it to create a&nbsp;community and economy that goes beyond just ownership of land for wealth’s&nbsp;sake.Editor’s Note: This article is republished from under a&nbsp;Creative Commons license. Read the .Win your dream vacationThe In These Times raffle is our most popular fundraiser of the year. This year, the grand prize is a trip to a destination of your choice—airfare and lodging are on us.The live drawing will take place at our virtual annual event on Thursday, September 15, but you don’t need to be in attendance to win. With a grand prize of a $1,000 airfare voucher and a $1,000 Airbnb gift card, you can design your ultimate getaway. 100% of your donation will go towards supporting our independent, progressive journalism.Have thoughts or reactions to this or any other piece that you'd like to share?Similar articlesJoin our newsletterFearless journalism, emailed straight to you.Subscribe and Save 66%Less than $1.67 an issueWatch live Thursday nightAcademy Award-winning filmmaker Adam McKay, writer and director of “Don’t Look Up,” joins us to celebrate the 46th anniversary of In These Times. Plus: Chris Smalls and the JFK8 Amazon workers.

This Thursday night, join us live online to celebrate 46 years of muck-racking, truth-telling journalism at the In These Times anniversary celebration, featuring Adam McKay, writer and director of "Don't Look Up." Underlying the recent unrest sweeping U.S. cities over police brutality is a&nbsp; in wealth, land and power that has circumscribed black lives since the end of slavery in the U.S.The ​” promised to formerly enslaved Africans never came to pass. There was no redistribution of land, no reparations for the wealth extracted from stolen land by stolen&nbsp;labor.June is celebrated by...

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Black People Own Less of the U.S. than 100 Years Ago. A ‘Black Commons’ Could Help Reverse the Trend

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