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From “What Happened in Alabama?”: The history of Black land loss
Jun 19, 2024
Episode 1185

From “What Happened in Alabama?”: The history of Black land loss

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How Black Americans went from collectively owning millions of acres to owning hardly any.

In honor of Juneteenth, we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast from APM Studios that’s especially relevant on this holiday. In the podcast, “What Happened in Alabama?” host Lee Hawkins unpacks his family history, confronts cycles of trauma and grapples with an issue many Black families face: how to keep land in the family.

This episode is about Black land loss. In 1910, Black farmers collectively owned over 16 million acres of farmland. A century later, over 90% of that land is no longer owned by Black farmers. Lee explores that tumultuous history and what Black families can do to hold on to their property.

If you’d like to hear more episodes from the series, you can find “What Happened in Alabama?” wherever you get podcasts.

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The team

Marissa Cabrera Senior Producer
Courtney Bergsieker Associate Producer