Historic Black “Freedom” Towns, Settlements, and Colonies w/ Dr. Andrea Roberts

“The big challenge is a knowledge gap, legal gap, estate planning gap. Because when you lose the land, you lose the presence, you lose the control over the place,” explains Dr. Andrea Roberts, founder of the Texas Freedom Colonies Project and Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia's School of Architecture. She is a proud 6th generation Texan whose ancestors have roots in the Texas freedom colonies. Today, Dr. Andrea joins host D-Rich to talk about historic Black “freedom” towns and the importance of preservation and bridging the legal knowledge gap.

 

Many historically Black places are not listed on any map, but are known by names whispered by descendents of those who lived there. Preserving these historical sites from old Black “Freedom” towns, settlements and colonies has been challenging as the land may not even be owned legally by the descendents. The majority of Black-owned land is what is called intestate, which means that you lose legal control over the place when your loved one passes on rather than being able to truly inherit it. Being able to put a name, information, and exact mapped location to these places that are otherwise lost to history is pivotal for anyone who may want to reclaim the land and protect what remains. 

 

The Texas Freedom Colonies Project aims to not only preserve historically Black places, but also to educate through providing access to resources like free legal assistance to help bridge the knowledge gap. By having a mapped and fully visualized story of the past available, people can learn and connect better with their family history and the places that their ancestors called home. 

 

Quotes

• “No one was explaining to me why this entire Black cemetery is here, surrounded by all of these middle to upper middle class to elite suburbs right outside of Houston.” (8:09-8:22 | Dr. Andrea)

• “70 to 75% of all Black-owned land is intestate, meaning it's in a state where you cannot sell it, make use of it, take control of it, when your loved one passes on, because you don't have proper legal standing.” (17:14-17:30 | Dr. Andrea)

• “The big challenge is a knowledge gap, legal gap, estate planning gap, because when you lose the land, you lose the presence, you lose the control over the place.” (18:40-18:51 | Dr. Andrea)

• “Our ancestors gave so much and they gave until they couldn't give any more. And that martyrdom got us this far, but that same martyrdom is not what's going to get us the next part of the way.” (49:04-49:16 | Dr. Andrea)

 

Links

Connect with Dr. Andrea Roberts:

Website - https://andrearobertsphd.com/homepage/about/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/FreeBlackTX

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrearoberts/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AndreaRRoberts

 

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