40 Acres and a Lie Part 2

Skidaway Island, Georgia is now a desirable community for mostly white residents, boasting picturesque views, lush greenery, and recreational facilities. However, this idyllic setting was once inhabited by a thriving Black community established by freedmen under the 40 acres program in 1865. The freedmen farmed the land, established a government system, and transformed former cotton plantations into a remarkable success story for Black Americans.

Regrettably, the community's prosperity was short-lived. Within just two years, the government seized the land from the freedmen and returned it to the former enslavers. Today, the land at The Landings development is valued at a minimum of $20 million, with the island's history largely overlooked in everyday life. A two-and-a-half-year investigation by journalists at the Center for Public Integrity has uncovered records revealing that several freed individuals once held and lost titles to plots of land at the present-day The Landings.

Linda Brown, one of the few Black residents at The Landings, expressed her astonishment at the abrupt loss of land that once belonged to her ancestors. In this week's Reveal episode, alongside the Center for Public Integrity, we also explore a descendant's discovery of her ancestor's title for a plot of land now part of another exclusive gated community.

Furthermore, we examine how these Reconstruction-era land titles, hidden within documents, are integral to the ongoing pursuit of reparations.