Home » Initiatives » BLJTI Overview

BLJTI Program Overview

Land Justice

jake-gard-CetB-bTDBtY-unsplash

Program Description

Land and property injustices have deeply affected Black communities, creating systemic barriers to wealth, stability, and self-determination. These injustices have roots in a long history of exclusion, displacement, and discriminatory policies that continue to impact Black communities today. A future where Black communities have secure land ownership, access to resources, and the ability to shape our own destinies is possible. It is a future where collective efforts lead to sustainable land practices, and community stewardship transforms neglected spaces into thriving hubs of culture, agriculture, and commerce. It is also a future where the struggles of Black communities and indigenous communities are recognized as interconnected and not mutually exclusive to one another, and where indigenous land sovereignty is interwoven into our collective liberation. In this course, we emphasize the importance of reclaiming and protecting land as a means of fostering community resilience and liberation. In addition to gaining a thorough understanding of how land injustices have shaped and continue to shape the experiences of Black communities, participants will explore land use, rights, and advocacy strategies, leaving the course with the community-based tools and vision needed to see the fruits of land justice within their own communities.

Program Objectives

The objectives below outline the core knowledge, skills, and capacities participants will build through this program. At the conclusion of the certification program participants will be able to:

  • Explore the history of land through a Black liberation and just transition lens.
  • Summarize the needs for land justice models and practices to advance equitable outcomes for Black communities.
  • Explain current inequities and disparities in land ownership, use, and loss.
  • Assess the utility of various community engagement and advocacy approaches to advance land justice.
  • Examine existing policies, practices, regulations, and advocacy activities that govern land use and resources.
  • Examine the historical/traditional/cultural relationship between Black communities and land.
  • Formulate an action plan to advance land justice.