19 families buy nearly 97 acres of land in Georgia to create a city safe for Black people – CNN:
“Welcome to Freedom!” exclaims real estate agent Ashley Scott as she surveys the nearly 97 acres of land that she and a group of 19 Black families purchased in August.
“I’m hoping that it will be a thriving safe haven for people of color, for Black families in particular,” Scott says.
The land sits just East of Macon in rural Wilkinson County, Georgia. Scott and her friend, investor and entrepreneur Renee Walters, didn’t initially plan on buying a large plot of land, but they had a vision that was clear — to create a safe space for their Black families.
“Being able to create a community that is thriving, that is safe, that has agriculture and commercial businesses that are supporting one another and that dollars circulating in our community, that is our vision.”
I am highly skeptical that the resegregation of society is the answer to racial issues. If this were 19 White families purchasing land hoping to make it a “thriving safe haven” for everyone, for White families in particular, the Internet would meltdown. (I’m not saying, by the way, that such things don’t happen. They’re just not brazenly publicized.)
Nonetheless, I support freedom of association and private individuals should be able to organize themselves however they please. These families should be able to live however and with whomever they want.
I will note, because it’s a common theme of mine, that I think the most important factor in the success of this endeavor is likely to be the wealth of the families involved. If 19 families are spending a couple million dollars to make this a reality, the poverty side of the equation has already been solved.