Nineteen black families have pooled their resources to purchased a 90-acre tract of land in Georgia. Their goal is to create a “safe city” for African-Americans to live, work and play.
Georgia-based realtor Ashley Scott says she decided to launch the initiative after the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
“I sought counseling from a Black therapist, and it helped. It helped me to realize that what we as Black people are suffering from is racial trauma. We are dealing with systemic racism,” Scott wrote in an op-ed soon after. “We are dealing with deep-rooted issues that will require more than protesting in the streets. It will take for us as a people, as Atlanta rapper and activist Killer Mike so eloquently put, ‘To plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize.’ So that’s what I and my good friend Renee Walters, an entrepreneur and investor, did.”
Scott, with the help of 19 families, purchased a 90-acre plot of land in Toomsboro, Georgia, with the goal of building a new system from the ground up.
“We figured we could try to fix a broken system or we could start fresh.” she writes. “Start a city that could be a shining example of being the change you want to see. We wanted to be more involved in creating the lives we really want for our Black families. And maybe, just maybe, create some generational wealth for ourselves by investing in the land. Investing in creating a community that is built around our core values and beliefs.”
“Amass land, develop affordable housing for yourself, build your own food systems, build manufacturing and supply chains, build your own home school communities, build your own banks and credit unions, build your own cities, build your own police departments, tax yourselves and vote in a mayor and a city council you can trust,” she explains.
Scott says such a project has the potential to create a real-life Wakanda for Black Americans.
“Build it from scratch! Then go get all the money the United States of America has available for government entities and get them bonds. This is how we build our new Black Wall Streets. We can do this. We can have Wakanda! We just have to build it for ourselves!”
If you are looking for Black-owned businesses and enterprises to support, a directory like the one found here is a great place to start.