New Communities facts for kids
New Communities was a huge farm, about 5,700 acres big (that's like 4,300 football fields!). It was owned and run by about a dozen Black farmers. They worked together from 1969 to 1985. This farm was one of the largest pieces of land owned by African Americans in the United States, located in Southwest Georgia.
How New Communities Became a Model for Land Trusts
New Communities was a special kind of organization called a community land trust. This means the land is owned by a trust, and then leased (rented) to people who use it, often for a very long time. This helps make sure land stays affordable and available for the community.
A community leader and Civil Rights activist named Slater King (1927–1969) helped start New Communities. He worked with other activists like Robert Swann and Shimon Gottschalk. They looked at how the Jewish National Fund in Israel managed land. Members of the group even traveled to Israel to learn how it worked!
They decided to create a similar system for New Communities. The group bought about 5,000 acres of farmland. Then, they leased parts of it to their members for homes and cooperative farming.
Over time, the idea of community land trusts grew. By 2010, there were hundreds of these trusts across the United States. Robert Swann later wrote that the hard work of the team in Georgia helped start the whole community land trust movement in the U.S. Their goal was to help African-American farmers have a safe and affordable way to farm land.
Farming and Challenges at New Communities
The farmers at New Communities were very creative. They sold their crops at roadside stands. They even built a smokehouse for their hogs and a sugarcane mill right by the road to attract customers.
They were pioneers in growing Muscadine grapes, planting 8 acres of them. Now, these grapes are commonly grown in Southwest Georgia. On 1,500 acres, they grew common crops like corn, peanuts, and soybeans.
However, in 1981, the area faced a very bad drought. New Communities asked the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for an emergency loan to get an irrigation system. But their request was denied without a clear reason, even though similar requests from white farmers in the area were approved.
The drought continued in 1982. To keep the farm going, they had to sell lumber for $50,000. The USDA then demanded this money as a condition for a loan. In 1983, the USDA asked for and received the deed (ownership papers) to the farm, but they didn't give anything in return.
Getting Justice for Discrimination
Later, a big lawsuit called Pigford v. Glickman happened. This was a class action lawsuit where many Black farmers sued the USDA for discrimination.
In 2009, New Communities received the largest payment from this lawsuit. An arbitrator (a person who helps settle disagreements) named Michael Lewis said that the USDA's actions were like a "feudal baron" (a powerful lord from old times) demanding crops from his workers. He found that the USDA had treated New Communities unfairly because of discrimination.
New Communities received $12.8 million. This was part of about $1 billion paid to more than 13,300 Black farmers by 2010. Two of the land holders, Charles and Shirley Sherrod, also received $330,000 for the emotional distress they went through. This settlement helped bring some justice to the farmers of New Communities.
