How White Conservationists Are Changing Life in a Black Farming Town

Pembroke Township, a historically Black community 70 miles south of Chicago, has a proud legacy of farming that stretches back to its founder, a formerly enslaved resident who homesteaded and parceled out 42 acres. But decades of financial hardship and, more recently, controversial land acquisitions by predominantly white conservation groups have imperiled Pembroke’s farming heritage and the livelihood of Black farmers there. Even though conservationists and Pembroke’s Black farmers share a love of the land, they often have very different views on how it should be used.

Join ProPublica and Grist virtually for a live conversation about the threats to Black land ownership and its impact on America’s racial wealth gap, along with the racial disparities in environmental movements.

When: Oct 21, 2021 at 6:00 pm CDT/7:00 pm ET

Details and video recording.

See also: Related Oct 14, 2021 ProPublica story by Tony Briscoe, "Conservationists See Rare Nature Sanctuaries. Black Farmers See a Legacy Bought Out From Under Them."