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This Land Is Our Land

by NOIRE Online

February 1, 2022 683 views
 

The beginning of the television series, Queen Sugar, provided people of color with a glimpse of what occurs in the probate process involving African American families. In the beginning episodes, Ralph Angel finds a copy of a subsequent will that his deceased father, Pops, kept in a lockbox. The holographic will, written by Pops’ own hand, gives Ralph Angel the family farm. Who could forget this emotional scene? Especially when Pops’ will details the descent of the land from ancestor to ancestor. I literally cried! This will created a complete split in this already divided family.

In the 21st century, why has this divisive condition continued in our families? Even worse, African American families continue to lose substantial wealth in the form of land, because of poor to no estate planning, failure to pay property taxes, eminent domain, and the worst, “heir property”/partition sales. There are countless stories of loss of land by African American families. We have heard the horrific stories of Black land loss in North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and countless other states. So many in the black community, say that racism and discrimination has caused blacks to lose family land.

Even though those incidents do occur, the black community must also take responsibility for land loss at the hands of feuding family members. We have to begin to work together to cure this cancer that is spreading through black families. Not to mention that the estate process for families can be long, tedious, and extremely expensive. Moreover, black families continue to fall prey to the exploitation of greedy attorneys, who don't look like them, that stand to gain a percentage of the profits of the sale of the estate. Property equals wealth for families. And generational wealth at that!

The truth is that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are many ways to secure and honor the land that our ancestors worked so hard to obtain. Don’t think that hope is lost, Black families have been overcoming obstacles for centuries. We can begin securing our land by:

(1) Proper estate planning – “Drafting Wills or Establishing Trusts”;

(2) Making use of the property (leases, farming, hunting clubs, rentals, etc.);

(3) Ensuring that estates are opened for deceased family members that owned property;

(4) Ensuring the taxes on the property are paid and timely;

(5) Maintaining and caring for the property.

When we know better, we must do better. Property is the most valuable asset that a family can own. Having an estate plan is essential to the growth and wealth of generations. Protect yourself and the ones that you love. Because this land is our land!

Information provided by Daniel E. Morris Law Firm (888-9MORRIS).

 
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NOIRE Online
NOIRE is a new online magazine that scopes the Black and multicultural community from a cutting-edge perspective. Our mantra is “Our Lives, Our Stories, Our Voices.” Our vision is to become the leading source of true, high-quality narratives of people of color.
 
All Comments (2)
  • James     2 years ago
         We have got to keep our land!!
    • NOIRE     2 years ago
           Yes, land is one of the key components of generational wealth.

 

 

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