Author and activist Brea Baker is on a mission to reignite the conversation about Black land ownership in America.
During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Baker delivered a powerful speech on land’s critical role in building generational wealth and closing the racial wealth gap.
Her new book, Rooted, delves into the history of Black landownership and the systemic challenges that have led to its decline over the past century.
The Legacy of Black Land Ownership
Baker, a sixth-generation Black landowner, shared her family’s story as a microcosm of the broader struggle. Her great-great-great grandfather, Louis Baker, purchased land just 10 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
“To go from that legacy to now, it’s like, how could I not value this?” she said.
However, Baker noted that Black landownership has significantly declined over the years.
“We owned more land 100 years ago than we do now,” she explained. “Land is where you really build wealth. Property, real estate—that’s where it goes. The fact that we’ve been losing land while white America has been continuing to gain means that this racial wealth gap we keep talking about is because of this land loss.”
A Family’s Commitment to Preserving Land
Baker’s personal connection to this issue deepened after her grandfather’s passing in 2019. On his deathbed, he urged the family not to sell their land in North Carolina.
“That happens a lot of times,” Baker said. “An older Black person passes on, and they’re not sure if someone in the next generation values it enough to keep it in the family.”
For Baker and her family, the land is priceless.
“We’re not letting this go anywhere,” she declared. “That land means everything to us. There’s no price that we will accept for it.”
The Disconnect Between Black Identity and Land
Baker also addressed the misconception that Black identity is synonymous with urban living.
“In this country, Black is kind of equated with urban, so they think we only live in cities,” she said. “But most Black people live in the South, and most Black people come from grandparents who lived in these rural areas.”
She pointed out that many Black families were disconnected from their land just as it began to gain significant economic value.
“We need to be championing Black land ownership,” Baker stressed. “Whether you’re getting it on your own or fighting for reparations, that needs to be a conversation in our community because that’s where real equity comes from.”
A Call to Action
Through her book, Baker hopes to inspire Black families to reclaim and preserve their land, whether through personal acquisition or advocacy for reparations.
“Land is where you build wealth,” she reiterated. “We need to value it, fight for it, and pass it on to the next generation.”
Baker’s work is a reminder of the importance of landownership in achieving true economic justice.
