Over the last few months, Black people have proven to be resilient in the face of adversities, especially when it comes to working together to better our communities.

The work to improve our economy starts within our own communities as we strive to progress under systems that weren’t initially designed for us to succeed.

To rewrite our narratives, 19 Black families banned together to recreate what has the potential to be the new Black Wall Street in Toomsboro, Georgia, according to Because of Them We Can.

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Seeing the lack of safe and secure spaces for Black people inspired these families to develop a viable solution to having more self-sustaining communities where businesses, consumers, and entrepreneurs can all flourish.

Reports from BOTWC stated that realtor Ashley Scott — a native of Stonecrest, Georgia — was fed up with the country’s conditions after witnessing the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in her home state. She then teamed up with her good friend Renee Walters to start The Freedom Georgia Initiative .

“We figured we could try to fix a broken system, or we could start fresh,” Scott said, according to BOTWC. “Start a city that could be a shining example of being the change you want to see.”

The Freedom Georgia Initiative recently purchased 96.71 acres of land to start building the ideal city that could represent the idea of having “real Black power.”

“We wanted to be more involved in creating the lives we really want for our Black families,” Scott said. “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.”

Building all-Black towns is nothing new to the Black community. It’s historically known that Black people would often come together to build self-sufficient towns, despite these cities not being documented in history books.

Towns like Nicodemus in Kansas Plains, Mound Bayou in Mississippi, and the renowned Greenwood community, were all designed so Black people could commune together in peace with little to no contact with white people.

Now as we find ourselves in similar circumstances seeking refuge from the terrors in America against Black people, we have these 19 families to thank for trying to build a place we can call our own.

For more information on The Freedom Georgia Initiative, click here.

The Freedom Georgia Initiative

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