On this week’s episode, Amber and Erika discuss land loss, the coded way that racially motivated land theft is often referred to in this country. Our guests are Kavon Ward and Ashanti Martin of Where Is My Land, a non-profit organization that helps Black families reclaim ownership of land that has unjustly been taken from them. Most notably, Where Is My Land assisted the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce in regaining ownership of Bruce Beach in 2021 after it was stolen from their family through a racist eminent domain proceeding in the 1920s. Through a historical analysis of how property laws have fueled systemic inequity through processes such as eminent domain, condemnation, gentrification, and outright theft, it is clear that Black land ownership and wealth accumulation has been intentionally thwarted and undermined throughout American history. Tune in to learn how!

Homework

1. Go to your local city council meetings and lend your voice to eminent domain issues that are being presented.
2. Donate to Where is My Land at whereismyland.org/donate.
3. Connect with Where is My Land on social media and tag three friends who need to do the same!

Website. WhereIsMyLand.org
Twitter: @whereismyland
Facebook: Where is My Land
Instagram: @whereismyland

Receipts

LA County is searching for ‘legal heirs’ of famous black-owned beach resort
Authors: Marjorie Hernandez and Natalie O’Neill
Date:  Dec 16, 2021

From 15 Million Acres to 1 Million: How Black People Lost Their Land
Author:  David Love
Date: Jun 30, 2017

Opinion: Why blacks have less land than they did 100 years ago — and what can be done about it
Authors:  Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone
Date:  Jun 19, 2020

The reality of Black land loss
Author:  Megan Burton
Date:  Feb 20, 2021

This Land Is Not Your Land
A brief history of the US government appropriating farmland from people of color.
Authors:  ANDREA GUZMAN AND PIPER MCDANIEL
Date:  May/June 2021 Issue

A Black family got their beach back — and inspired others to fight against land theft
Authors:  Danny Hajek, A. Martinez, Kelley Dickens
Date: Oct 10, 2021

Landmark California bill could help Black families reclaim seized land
Author: A. Martinez
Date:  Oct 6, 2021

**Kavon Ward**
Co-Founder, Advocacy Lead
Kavon Ward led the successful return of land stolen from Willa and Charles Bruce in 1924. In 2021, that land is being returned to the descendants of the Bruces. She is the founder of Justice for Bruce’s Beach and started her advocacy around Bruce’s Beach on Juneteenth 2020. Kavon is a highly sought after educator and reparations consultant. She has partnered with Patrisse Cullors of Black Lives Matter to create a petition through Color of Change calling for restitution and restoration for the Bruce family and reparations for Black residents of Manhattan Beach. Kavon is a former Congressional Black Caucus fellow and public policy lobbyist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, and a master’s degree in public administration.

**Ashanti Martin**
Co-Founder, Marketing Lead
Ashanti Martin is a veteran writer and communications strategist whose work focuses on the intersection of communication, technology, and Black culture. In 2020, Ashanti wrote an article for the Sunday New York Times about Black LinkedIn that galvanized a movement to transform the workplace experience for Black and other marginalized communities. Her podcast “EdUp Explained” covers a variety of topics through a critical thinking lens. Ashanti holds a master’s degree in communication and media and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Rutgers University. Over the course of her career, she has worked for The Record newspaper of Hackensack, N.J., Rutgers University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Wharton School.