In this episode of Truth in the Shadows, we investigate the systematic destruction of Black-owned farmland in the United States. From Reconstruction through the 20th century, Black farmers-built wealth and independence through land ownership — only to see it stripped away through discriminatory USDA practices, legal loopholes, and federal policy failures. This episode explains how this was allowed to happen, why it went unchecked, how many families were affected, and why the consequences still shape racial wealth gaps, food insecurity, and distrust in government today.

This episode draws from court records, federal investigations, and historical scholarship to examine how policy—not accident—shaped Black land loss in America.

References

• Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age o ...