WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Howard University School of Business and the School of Law will partner with think tank, New America, to host a panel discussion about Black land loss in the United States. Inspired by Vann R. Newkirk II’s Atlantic cover story “The Great Land Robbery”, the moderated panel discussion will explore historical and present-day issues related to Black land loss, as panelists seek to uncover solutions to one of the most critical and under-studied components of the racial wealth gap: property. The panel will be held at the School of Business auditorium located at 2600 6^th St. NW on Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and registration is open to the public. 

“In thinking about what the next steps were for this work, Howard was a clear choice for beginning the conversation and raising awareness around the issue of what we quickly learned is land theft,” says Newkirk. “The article traces 100 years of land loss through federally funded efforts, and investigates how land that was taken from Black folks has gone into the hands of investors, real estate developers, and Wall Street-financed corporations. In terms of building generational wealth, HBCUs have been instrumental and this history is HBCU history, so we’re excited to bring this conversation to Howard’s campus.”

Experts say that real estate is the steadiest and safest way to build wealth in America. And yet, African Americans continue to be displaced from their homes and land. For example, the last century has seen a precipitous decline in the amount of Black-owned agricultural land, partly as a result of the heirs’ property land ownership system, which has been exploited to force partition sales and remove black families from their property.  This event will use heirs’ property and black land loss as a jumping off point to talk about property as a key component of building generational wealth. 

“We’re very excited to bring this conversation to Howard’s campus and expose our students to the financial and legal implications of the important topic of land ownership,” says Barron H. Harvey, dean of the Howard University School of Business. “We are looking forward to collaborating with the School of Law and New America on a holistic conversation that addresses the full range of issues and highlights this important history.” 

Panelists will participate in a moderated discussion that tells the story of why property is so important to building wealth, explores how African Americans have been locked out from this important asset, and uncovers solutions to this problem. A questions and answer portion will follow.  

Speakers Include: 

Tyra Mariani, President and Chief Operating Officer, New America 

Vann Newkirk II, 11th Hour Fellow, New America, Staff Writer at the Atlantic, Author of the Atlantic Magazine cover story, “The Great Land Robbery” 

Thomas Mitchell  Professor, Texas A&M School of Law and author of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act 

Marcia Chatelain, 2017 National Fellow, New America, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University 

Tony Pickett, Chief Executive Officer, Grounded Solutions Network 

“This is such an important event and conversation for Howard students to be a part of,” says Danielle Holley-Walker, dean of the Howard University School of Law. “Land ownership is critical to building wealth and we want to expose Howard students to opportunities to work on this very issue.” 

### 

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu. 

Media Contact: Misha Cornelius, misha.cornelius@howard.edu