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Black Land Loss Conference (apologies for cross postings)



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                        AND Then there was NONE:
                     A Conference on Black Land Loss

In the United States, African-Americans are losing land at a rate of 9,000 acres per
week.  In 1920, 1 in every 7 farmers was African-American.  By 1982 only 1 in every 67
farmers was still working the land.  In 1950, African-Americans owned 1.2 million acres
of land in North Carolina.  By the late 1980’s, African-American owned farmland in North
Carolina had declined to less than 400,000 acres.  Additionally, many rural southern
communities have endured environmental degradation , health risks and loss of economic
vitality as part of a nationwide trend of environmental racism.

One such community is Tillery, North Carolina.  Located in the eastern part of the
state, the Tillery community is a symbol of the plight of many rural isolated
communities in the south, plagued by a dramatic loss of African-American land and family
farms, high unemployment, the exodus of youth into urban areas, and environmental
racism.

GOALS and OBJECTIVES

This conference is a call by the people of Tillery for a renewed investment in the
grassroots of social justice and equality.  Through the conference we intend to :

-  Stop the trend of African-American land loss and the disappearance of family farms
-  Establish a regional network in support of the sustainable economic development of
rural resources
-  Investigate the reality of a national conference in Tillery to develop and implement
broader more global solutions
-  Communicate the rural voice of Americans effectively across all cultural, racial and
geographical boundaries
-  Serve as a clearinghouse to disseminate ideas and alternatives in response to poverty
and injustice in North Carolina and the world

Tillery, North Carolina:  A New Deal Resettlement

The Tillery Resettlement Farm was one of approximately 113 rural Resettlement
‘experiments’ conducted by the U.S. Government in the 1930’s and 1940’s under President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s NEW DEAL.  The Tillery Resettlement Farm was one of the largest
Resettlement Projects and the largest African American Project in the United States.
The Resettlement Farm, whose name was changed to the Roanoke Farms in 1935, spread over
a land area of over 18,000 acres…

…These Black Land owners changed the social landscape of this former plantation region,
and began the long journey of challenging the racial injustices of the ‘old South.’


Tentative CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The Franklinton Center, Enfield, North Carolina

Thursday, March 20

6:30 pm  Registration
7:00     Reception, Food and Fun
10:00    Opening Night Festivities, includes live jazz, good food! 

Friday, March 21:

7:00 am     Breakfast
8:00        Registration
8:30        Welcome and Introductions
9:00-11:00  Concurrent Workshops
            - Estate Planning/Condemnation/Heir Property
            - Environmental Racism and Human Health Concerns
11:30-1:30  Lunch - The Franklinton Center.  Keynote Speaker TBA.
1:30-4:00   Concurrent Workshops
            - Socio-Economic of African-American Land Loss
            - Credit and Race: The Farm Service Agency, formerly (FMHA)
4:00-5:00   Plenary Session
7:30        Dinner and Entertainment featuring a live production, "Heritage and Hope"


Saturday, March 22:

7:30 am      Breakfast
8:30         Registration
9:00-11:30   Agronomic Alternatives for African-American Farmers in the South
11:30-12:00  Brunch/Snack
12:00-2:00   Tour of Historic Tillery
2:00-4:00    Working Lunch - Tillery Community Center - Planning Session - Next Steps
4:00         Depart for Franklinton Center


CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

Full Conference:  $75     ($65 for those registering by March 1, 1997)

Friday only:  $50

Saturday only:  $30

Lodging: $55 - Franklinton Center, Tel: (919) 437-1723

Name:  _____________________________________________

Title/Position:  _______________________________________

Organization:   _______________________________________
                _______________________________________

Address:  ___________________________________________
          ___________________________________________
          ___________________________________________

Phone:  ______________________  Fax:  ______________________

Email:  __________________________________________________

Special Needs:
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________


Please send the registration form and check made payable to "The Land Loss Fund", P.O.
Box 61, Tillery, NC 27887


Please find enclosed  $____________ for _________adults.

____ Full conference  ____ Fri. only  _____ Sat. only.

Should you need additional information, contact:

Gary R. Grant
Phone:  (919) 826-3017
Fax:      (919) 826-3244
Email:   Tillery@aol.com