Overview

• Black families are seeking the return of land that was taken from them through government seizures, particularly in the South.
• Descendants are searching for aging deeds and scouring public records to try to prove past ownership of properties that are now the sites of businesses, college dormitories, and other developments.
• Families are asking for the land or to be paid current market value, and some are asking for acknowledgment of the harm done as a way to return their history to public memory.
• The loss of property stripped by deceit, violence, or using eminent domain was often racially motivated and invoked disproportionately in minority and poor communities.
• Cases face a mountain of obstacles, from the passage of time to gaps in public records, but some families are making progress with the help of organizations like Where Is My Land.