Black History Month: The Legacy of Forty Acres and a Mule

Happy Black History Month! This February, we honor the resilience, brilliance, and power of Black communities—while also shining a light on the historical injustices that continue to shape racial disparities in housing, wealth, and stability today.

A Promise Made—and Broken

Imagine being told that after generations of enslavement, you would finally have a chance to build a future for yourself and your family. That’s what happened in 1865, when Union leaders pledged that newly freed Black families would receive “forty acres and a mule”—land that could be farmed, passed down, and used to create generational wealth.

For a brief moment, it became real. On January 16, 1865, the U.S. government seized 400,000 acres from Confederate landowners and began distributing it in 40-acre plots. By June, 40,000 freed people—just 1% of the formerly enslaved population—had received land.

Then, the dream was stolen. Later that year, President Andrew Johnson—who had enslaved people himself and openly promoted white supremacy—overturned the order. The land was returned to its original owners: the very people who had enslaved Black Americans for centuries.

The Cost of a Broken Promise

If even those initial 40,000 families had been allowed to keep their land, estimates suggest it would be worth about $640 billion today. That wealth could have fueled businesses, homes, education, and security for future generations.

Instead, Black families have faced a relentless cycle of stolen opportunities—through discriminatory property laws, redlining, racist lending practices, and other systemic barriers that stripped away land and generational wealth. Today, the average Black family’s net worth is one-tenth that of a white family.

The Connection to Homelessness

When people are denied opportunities to build wealth, the impact ripples across generations. The racial wealth gap isn’t just about dollars—it’s about access to housing, stability, and dignity.

Black Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, yet account for over 36% of people experiencing homelessness and more than 37% of homeless families with children.

That’s not a coincidence. It’s the direct result of centuries of exclusion from homeownership, wealth-building policies, and economic opportunity.

A Future We Can Build Together

Homelessness isn’t just about personal hardship—it’s about failed policies and structural injustices that have made stable housing unattainable for too many.

Here’s the reality:

• Housing is unaffordable because decades of underfunded programs have created a shortage.
• Wages haven’t kept up with skyrocketing rent and home prices.
• Social safety nets are too weak, leaving people one crisis away from losing everything.
• Healthcare—especially mental health support—is inequitable and inaccessible.
• Mass incarceration disproportionately impacts Black communities, creating lifelong barriers to housing and employment.

At the core of these issues is racism—both historical and ongoing. From slavery and forced displacement to redlining and predatory lending, Black Americans have been denied the same access to opportunity that others take for granted.

We Have the Power to Change This

History isn’t just something we look back on—it’s something we carry with us. The impact of broken promises and systemic discrimination is still felt today—but so is the power of Black communities to resist, rebuild, and rise.

This Black History Month, we commit to:

✔️ Acknowledging the truth of how we got here
✔️ Advocating for policies that create real, lasting equity
✔️ Fighting for housing as a human right, not a privilege

Knowledge is power—but action creates change. Share this blog, have conversations, support organizations that fight for housing justice. Together, we can build a future where stability, dignity, and opportunity are within reach for all.