Juneteenth: The Creation and Loss of Black Wealth

The post-emancipation period, Reconstruction (1865-1877), marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation. Formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation, and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and country(https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth ).

?Free Black people continued to struggle to share the same American dreams as their fellow White Americans, especially in financial freedom. Although John Locke, a British Philosopher, wrote that all individuals are equal in the sense that they are born with certain "inalienable" natural rights. That is God-given rights that can never be taken or even given away. Among these fundamental natural rights, Locke said, are "life, liberty, and property." When the Declaration of Independence was crafted, the phrase was changed to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," but why??

One must ask, what is the power of land ownership???

Earlier this year, we recorded a podcast about Forsyth County, GA. Whites rioted against blacks in Atlanta in 1906, resulting in more than 20 dead. Racial violence broke out in Forsyth County in September 1912 following allegations of sexual attacks by black men on white women (https://www.npr.org/2016/09/15/494063372/the-racial-cleansing ).

After listening to our discussion, let me know your thoughts on how we can close the wealth gap between black and white families. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046919/13064161