Elijah Lewis: “Many Americans have taken pride of our past and rightfully so. We have a rich history of working the land and having the…”

“Many Americans have taken pride of our past and rightfully so. We have a rich history of working the land and having the opportunity to benefit from the fruits of our labor. My family has even had the opportunity to witness the pride that land ownership brings. In 1944, when I was only 4 years old, my father saved $300 to buy 100 acres of land in Alabama. This land has been in my family ever since, and to this day, my 87 year old mother still lives there. I cannot imagine, that in a country like ours, having this land stripped from under our feet without justification. Much less not even being able to do anything about it. Unfortunately, this was indeed the reality for many African American farmers at one time. It was often spoken of, but never proven. And until recently, many Black Farmers were crying on deaf ears of their plights. As Americans we have long believed that under God, all men were created equal. Under this belief we all should have the fundamental right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, for some, this was a far fetch dream. And to many, the pursuit of happiness was a down right lie!!! Few people know that by the turn of the 21st Century, former slaves and their descendants owned millions of acres of land. In fact by 1910, African Americans owned approximately 15 million acres of land. Today, African Americans own only 1.1 million acres of land.”