Group of black families buy nearly 100 acres of land in Georgia to create racism free community
The group spent $1.7m on the land and hopes it will one day be a formally recognised city
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Your support makes all the difference.A group of African-American families plans to start their own racism-free city on 90 acres of communally-owned land in Georgia.
The "Freedom Georgia Initiative" includes more than a dozen families and is intended to create a safe space for black families.
The project is being led by real estate agent Ashley Scott and her friend, entrepreneur Renee Walters.
The women were driven to pursue the settlement after the high profile killings of black individuals like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
"Watching our people protesting in the streets, while it is important, and I want people to stay out in the streets, bringing attention to the injustices of Black people. We needed to create a space and a place where we could be a village, again, a tribe, again," Ms Scott told CNN. "We wanted to create this safe space where we can address our own issues and concerns."
The women pitched their idea to friends and family members. The group pulled their resources and purchased land in unincorporated Wilkinson County, just outside Toomsboro, Georgia. The land cost $1.7m.
Ms Scott told Insider that "for the same amount for a small apartment in New York, you could own a whole city."
She said the foundation of the initiative will be a strong community built on black-owned businesses, like banks and construction companies.
Though the settlement is intended to be a safe space where black families can thrive, Ms Scott said the community is not intended to be racially homogeneous.
"It's not even about being just a 'black thing,'" she said. "It's about having a place where we can all be proud and have human dignity, honor, respect, and equity amongst our black people because we have black talent."
Ms Walters said the group believed in order to see the change in society they longed for, they would have to act on their own.
"Once of our core goals is to show that it can be done," she said. "You don't have to wait on the politicians and the rappers and everybody to help us. We have to help ourselves."
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The women plan on developing the settlement in stages, and eventually they hope to form a city recognised by the state of Georgia on the land.
Initially, the settlers will focus on developing the land, installing Wi-Fi, and planning for water and eventual zoning divisions. The group will prioritise using black-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned contracting businesses for the initial construction of the town.
During the early stages of construction, some members of the founding group will stay on the land in camps and trailers.