Volume 39

Land ownership and agribusiness have been the source of pride and freedom for marginalized and indigenous people around the world. Yet, in the U.S., there has been a continuous decline in the agricultural and forest land owned by African Americans since the 1920s, largely due to historical racism in lending, insurance, and education practices. Against all odds, today’s African American have engaged in innovative agribusiness, forestry and tourism microentrepreneurship to improve the viability of their working lands and ensure generational succession. The accounts of African American landowners and agencies from North Carolina will be contextualized globally.