What We're Reading: Spotlight on Land, Wealth, and Culture in BIPOC Communities
As part of their February spotlight on land, wealth, and ownership, Common Future shares a series of pieces drawing reflections on the legacies of land, wealth, and culture theft and cataloging actions by BIPOC communities in response. "The loss of land not only results in stripping financial wealth from families, but cultural wealth as well," Jennie Stephens, executive director of the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation and Common Future network leader emphasizes. “It’s far more than just a parcel of land — it can be a window to the past that tells the story of a family, a community, or a way of life. Knowing about your family’s history and culture creates a sense of place and belonging.”
In a three-part series, Olayinka Credle, program director at Common Future discusses the history of land theft, how that history shapes our present culture, and how BIPOC communities push back. "It’s not just wealth," Credle writes, "they are stealing something utterly priceless from families: memories, and a deeply personal history of love, joy, pain, tears, laughter, and more."