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Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership
Why is less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. owned by Black people? An acclaimed writer and activist explores the impact of land theft and violent displacement on racial wealth gaps, arguing that justice stems from the literal roots of the earth.
“With heartfelt prose and unyielding honesty, Baker explores the depths of her roots and invites readers to reflect on our own.”—Donovan X. Ramsey, author of the National Book Award for Nonfiction semi-finalist When Crack Was King
To understand the contemporary racial wealth gap, we must first unpack the historic attacks on Indigenous and Black land ownership. From the moment that colonizers set foot on Virginian soil, a centuries-long war was waged, resulting in an existential Who owns what on stolen land? Who owns what with stolen labor? To answer these questions, we must confront one of this nation’s first stealing, hoarding, and commodifying the land.
Research suggests that between 1910 and 1997, Black Americans lost about 90% of their farmland. Land theft widened the racial wealth gap, privatized natural resources, and created a permanent barrier to access that should be a birthright for Black and Indigenous communities. Rooted traces the experiences of Brea Baker’s family history of devastating land loss in Kentucky and North Carolina, identifying such violence as the root of persistent inequality in this country. Ultimately, her grandparents’ commitment to Black land ownership resulted in the Bakers Acres—a haven for the family where they are sustained by the land, surrounded by love, and wholly free.
A testament to the Black farmers who dreamed of feeding, housing, and tending to their communities, Rooted bears witness to their commitment to freedom and reciprocal care for the land. By returning equity to a dispossessed people, we can heal both the land and our nation’s soul.
“With heartfelt prose and unyielding honesty, Baker explores the depths of her roots and invites readers to reflect on our own.”—Donovan X. Ramsey, author of the National Book Award for Nonfiction semi-finalist When Crack Was King
To understand the contemporary racial wealth gap, we must first unpack the historic attacks on Indigenous and Black land ownership. From the moment that colonizers set foot on Virginian soil, a centuries-long war was waged, resulting in an existential Who owns what on stolen land? Who owns what with stolen labor? To answer these questions, we must confront one of this nation’s first stealing, hoarding, and commodifying the land.
Research suggests that between 1910 and 1997, Black Americans lost about 90% of their farmland. Land theft widened the racial wealth gap, privatized natural resources, and created a permanent barrier to access that should be a birthright for Black and Indigenous communities. Rooted traces the experiences of Brea Baker’s family history of devastating land loss in Kentucky and North Carolina, identifying such violence as the root of persistent inequality in this country. Ultimately, her grandparents’ commitment to Black land ownership resulted in the Bakers Acres—a haven for the family where they are sustained by the land, surrounded by love, and wholly free.
A testament to the Black farmers who dreamed of feeding, housing, and tending to their communities, Rooted bears witness to their commitment to freedom and reciprocal care for the land. By returning equity to a dispossessed people, we can heal both the land and our nation’s soul.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2024
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November 19, 2024
A blistering condemnation of the practice of land theft from Black and Indigenous landowners and land stewards. I know I keep saying this about practically every nonfiction book I read, but this is a must-read.
June 17, 2024
this was everything i wanted it to be and more!!! brea baker turns our attentions towards the american south where black landownership rates are worse now than they were 100 years ago. baker synthesizes existing research about the deliberate and legalized system of land theft from black americans and also weaves in personal narratives of her own family's struggle to own and maintain land. baker is also sure to emphasize that at every turn, black people have always struggled for self-determination and have resisted oppression and theft. in considering what a future in which black reparations & indigenous landback co-exist, baker points towards existing models that could potentially be scaled up. baker refuses black capitalism and instead envisions a future of land stewardship and a reconnection with the land. this book is bursting at the seams with love and it is such a gift!!! everyone please read this asap!!!
June 30, 2024
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House One World for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was a engrossing read covering the history of land displacement of Blacks from the time they could own and cultivate land, to those Blacks who were rich and owned areas of land, Black communities that were razed and people killed and how all of this adds up financially for those that were uprooted and the wealth gap that now exists. The book also shows the resilience of black communities and how they took care of their own and how people are now going back to the land of their people. For many it is foreign as it was taken away so many generations ago but giving land back should be part of the reparations as so much comes from having a place or your own, a home for the generations, natural resources to sustain your people and an area where your community can flourish. This book connects all the dots of the damage that has been done to break a people but they continue to strive and thrive.
April 1, 2025
Black land ownership has been heavy on my mind along with Black farming. This was an insightful read that taught me a lot about different people's journeys in the South towards Black landownership. This was well researched and I learned a lot about different historical events that aren't talked about enough. The author's family is based in North Carolina so she talks about community organizing and the impact rural towns had on the Civil Right's movement.
March 24, 2025
“Is there anywhere for Black peoole to call home in this country? To control the fruit of our labor? To be more than our output? If we ask history, we may feel dismayed…” This statement sets the tone for a book about incredible loss and exclusion. As author Brea Baker makes clear through her assessment of her own family, Black Americans have been systematically deprived of land ownership and all of the collective power that comes with it. Baker traces her familial relationship to land, as well as the stories of Black peoole in North Carolina, Alabama, and others parts of the South, demonstrating the promising rise and devastating fall of Black land ownership in America.
“Rooted” makes clear a lesson that generations of Black people have repeatedly learned—power and freedom are connected, and neither are possible without land ownership. Baker details how emancipated Africans were intentional about seizing lands in the South as a means to secure real material liberation. The freedmen went all over the South pooling money and using Black institutions to open up land for collective cultivation, enjoyment, and dwelling. In response, white vigilantes and the power structure itself unleashed multifaceted waves of repression specifically designed to steal Black land and ensure the land never left the hands of white owners. I am fully convinced that had the Freedmen been left alone, they would have developed fully autonomous communities and settlements with a strong “socialist” orientation throughout the American South. This is precisely why they were not left alone.
Baker does an excellent job explaining the cultural relationship that Black people once had with their Southern “homelands,” and makes a compelling case for both a spiritual and material return to land stewardship and collectivism. She also earnestly describes the kinship that many Black people felt with dispossessed Native Americans. “Rooted” is a powerful historical account of the deferred dream of Black self-determination in America. It highlights what was and what could have been, and unapologetically identifies white terror and nationalism as the culprit for what happened.
“Rooted” makes clear a lesson that generations of Black people have repeatedly learned—power and freedom are connected, and neither are possible without land ownership. Baker details how emancipated Africans were intentional about seizing lands in the South as a means to secure real material liberation. The freedmen went all over the South pooling money and using Black institutions to open up land for collective cultivation, enjoyment, and dwelling. In response, white vigilantes and the power structure itself unleashed multifaceted waves of repression specifically designed to steal Black land and ensure the land never left the hands of white owners. I am fully convinced that had the Freedmen been left alone, they would have developed fully autonomous communities and settlements with a strong “socialist” orientation throughout the American South. This is precisely why they were not left alone.
Baker does an excellent job explaining the cultural relationship that Black people once had with their Southern “homelands,” and makes a compelling case for both a spiritual and material return to land stewardship and collectivism. She also earnestly describes the kinship that many Black people felt with dispossessed Native Americans. “Rooted” is a powerful historical account of the deferred dream of Black self-determination in America. It highlights what was and what could have been, and unapologetically identifies white terror and nationalism as the culprit for what happened.
December 19, 2024
6 stars honestly. When I closed Rooted, I immediately thought: Now that’s what I’m talking about! This is a book that I can’t detail too much here because you simply need to read it yourself. I highly recommend checking out the pages I photographed, but there are countless moments in this book that deserve deep discussion and even more worth quoting and shouting from the rooftops.
My expectations for this book were high, and Baker not only met them but completely surpassed them. I would love to see this book incorporated into educational curriculums to spark meaningful conversations. It doesn’t just provide a history of systemic oppression through the theft of land from Black and Indigenous people, it also lays the groundwork for how we can move forward. Baker emphasizes the magic and power of prioritizing community and rethinking the systems that have intentionally severed minorities’ connections to land and to one another.
This book is a must-read, and I can’t recommend it enough. I borrowed a copy from the library, but I can’t wait to add it to my personal library! Trust me, I’ll be highlighting the hell out of it. I also listened to the audiobook and loved hearing Baker’s passion as she narrated her work. There’s something so powerful about hearing an author’s voice, especially when they’re speaking on a topic that demands passion and dedication.
This book will inspire you to advocate for change and become more informed about these critical issues. I could honestly talk about Rooted for days, but instead, I’ll say this: go to your local bookstore, library, or wherever you get your books, add this one to your cart or tote, and read it. Then come back and talk to me, because this is a book I’ll be recommending and discussing constantly moving forward.
My expectations for this book were high, and Baker not only met them but completely surpassed them. I would love to see this book incorporated into educational curriculums to spark meaningful conversations. It doesn’t just provide a history of systemic oppression through the theft of land from Black and Indigenous people, it also lays the groundwork for how we can move forward. Baker emphasizes the magic and power of prioritizing community and rethinking the systems that have intentionally severed minorities’ connections to land and to one another.
This book is a must-read, and I can’t recommend it enough. I borrowed a copy from the library, but I can’t wait to add it to my personal library! Trust me, I’ll be highlighting the hell out of it. I also listened to the audiobook and loved hearing Baker’s passion as she narrated her work. There’s something so powerful about hearing an author’s voice, especially when they’re speaking on a topic that demands passion and dedication.
This book will inspire you to advocate for change and become more informed about these critical issues. I could honestly talk about Rooted for days, but instead, I’ll say this: go to your local bookstore, library, or wherever you get your books, add this one to your cart or tote, and read it. Then come back and talk to me, because this is a book I’ll be recommending and discussing constantly moving forward.
May 28, 2025
baker does an excellent job of balancing empirical and anecdotal evidence in a tone that (refreshingly! rightfully!) does not attempt scientific or historical distance. highly recommend on its own or as a companion to by the fire we carry (rebecca nagle).
February 28, 2024
Brea Baker is, first and foremost, a freedom fighter. She has been working on the frontlines for almost a decade including contributing to dozens of electoral and advocacy campaigns. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale and has been recognized as a 2023 Creative Capital awardee, a 2017 Glamour Woman of the Year and much more.
With "Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership," Baker explores the impact of land theft and violent displacement on racial wealth gaps. She poses the quesiton "Why is less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. owned by Black people?"
Then, Baker begins to unpack it all.
Writing in a way that is both well-informed and deeply personal, Baker explores the historic attacks on Indigenous and Black land ownership and looks at one of this nation's first sins - stealing, hoarding, and commodifying the land.
Baker notes that research suggests that between 1910-1997, Black Americans lost about 90% of their farmland. This land theft widened the racial wealth gap, privatized natural resources, and created a permanent barrier to access that should be a birthright for Black and Indigenous communities.
Throughout "Rooted," Baker speaks of her own family's experiences in Kentucky and North Carolina. She also speaks with love and admiration of her grandparents' commitment to Black land ownership and the area that would become known as Bakers Acres.
"Rooted" is a passionate call for reparations and an embrace of certain paths toward that act of justice that can heal both the land and, in Baker's words, "our nation's soul."
There's a matter-of-factness to "Rooted" that some will find jarring. I found it rather refreshing, a passionate truth-telling and call into action grounded in extensive research and personal testimonial. In a country where institutionalized racism is still prevalent, it is practically undeniable that "Rooted" won't resonate with everyone. So be it. For those in search of a better and more just way, "Rooted" is engaging and powerfully reasoned reading that demands our attention.
With "Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership," Baker explores the impact of land theft and violent displacement on racial wealth gaps. She poses the quesiton "Why is less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. owned by Black people?"
Then, Baker begins to unpack it all.
Writing in a way that is both well-informed and deeply personal, Baker explores the historic attacks on Indigenous and Black land ownership and looks at one of this nation's first sins - stealing, hoarding, and commodifying the land.
Baker notes that research suggests that between 1910-1997, Black Americans lost about 90% of their farmland. This land theft widened the racial wealth gap, privatized natural resources, and created a permanent barrier to access that should be a birthright for Black and Indigenous communities.
Throughout "Rooted," Baker speaks of her own family's experiences in Kentucky and North Carolina. She also speaks with love and admiration of her grandparents' commitment to Black land ownership and the area that would become known as Bakers Acres.
"Rooted" is a passionate call for reparations and an embrace of certain paths toward that act of justice that can heal both the land and, in Baker's words, "our nation's soul."
There's a matter-of-factness to "Rooted" that some will find jarring. I found it rather refreshing, a passionate truth-telling and call into action grounded in extensive research and personal testimonial. In a country where institutionalized racism is still prevalent, it is practically undeniable that "Rooted" won't resonate with everyone. So be it. For those in search of a better and more just way, "Rooted" is engaging and powerfully reasoned reading that demands our attention.
June 24, 2024
Well-researched and informative book occasionally marred by writing quality one would expect to find in an undergraduate research paper rather than in a serious scholarly work.
3.5 rounding up, as this is an important book about an important topic, quibbles about the writing notwithstanding.
3.5 rounding up, as this is an important book about an important topic, quibbles about the writing notwithstanding.
June 13, 2024
Being published June 18th, this is the perfect read to honor Juneteenth! Told through the history of her own family as well as other extensively researched examples, Ms. Baker shows the exact steps that were taken by individuals, the government, and corporate bodies to steal land from the formerly enslaved and their descendants. Having read several books regarding the horrors we continue to perpetrate against Blacks, I was impressed at how focused Ms. Baker remained on her topic despite the myriad of detours and distractions that could have taken her off course. As the title suggests, the book singles in on the ownership and kinship with land, past present and future. Ms. Baker made me understand how important a connection to the land is to people, the importance of nurturing that connection, and importantly how to achieve that connection and security. The book discusses the overall disconnect between Black people and the land and the dearth of Black participation with the many parks and outdoor activities. I'd suggest those interested in others encouraging outdoor discovery to find Alison Marie Desir and Mirna Valerio on IG. They are both huge proponents of trail running, hiking, and getting Black people into the outdoors. While it isn't growing your own food, it is a connection. Additionally, I found the suggestions on reparations at the end of the book to be insightful and thought provoking.
Thanks to Random House - One World for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to Random House - One World for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
July 7, 2024
"Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership" by Brea Baker examines how racial wealth disparities in America are impacted by land theft and relocation. In this novel, Baker explores the damaging legacy of exploitation and injustice from colonial times to the present. She also discusses the historical backdrop of Black and Indigenous property ownership.
Part memoir, part historical text, Baker demonstrates how land theft contributed to racial disparities and sustained systemic inequality. She exposes the terrible effects of land theft, which has robbed Black people of their connection to the land as well as their economic prospects.
Baker honors the will of Black landowners and farmers who have struggled to recover their ancestral property through institutional oppression. Her painstaking attention to detail honors forgotten individuals and their steadfast dedication to community and freedom. "Rooted" is a call to action for the Black community's environmental and economic freedom. Baker gives an engaging vision for a more just and equitable future by emphasizing the value of land ownership as a method of empowerment and self-determination. She does an amazing job at sharing the price our forefathers had to pay for land ownership as well as the repercussions of being withheld from our heritage.
I believe this novel is extremely important in the field of Black studies. If you are interested in land and power in America and how race gravely affects the two, then you should give Rooted your time.
Part memoir, part historical text, Baker demonstrates how land theft contributed to racial disparities and sustained systemic inequality. She exposes the terrible effects of land theft, which has robbed Black people of their connection to the land as well as their economic prospects.
Baker honors the will of Black landowners and farmers who have struggled to recover their ancestral property through institutional oppression. Her painstaking attention to detail honors forgotten individuals and their steadfast dedication to community and freedom. "Rooted" is a call to action for the Black community's environmental and economic freedom. Baker gives an engaging vision for a more just and equitable future by emphasizing the value of land ownership as a method of empowerment and self-determination. She does an amazing job at sharing the price our forefathers had to pay for land ownership as well as the repercussions of being withheld from our heritage.
I believe this novel is extremely important in the field of Black studies. If you are interested in land and power in America and how race gravely affects the two, then you should give Rooted your time.
May 12, 2026
Brea Baker's memoir and social history looks at land loss in Kentucky and North Carolina — injustices experienced by Indigenous Americans and Black Americans, including Baker’s own family. She emphasizes Black land ownership, facilitates generational wealth, and outlines hopeful pathways to move forward. Most joyfully, Brea and her wife Mariah got married on Baker Acres, their family's land. Brea Baker describes herself as a “freedom fighter and writer” as well as a “queer Black millennial activist working at the intersections of race, gender identity, public safety, and community.” Her website is a content-rich resource.
https://lplks.org/blogs/post/stories-...
https://lplks.org/blogs/post/stories-...
October 16, 2024
Stories of harm from the past and present we all should know and act on. A concise and complete view of why reparations are needed from the lens of land theft/ownership. The author states that BIPOC need equitable access to & ownership of the land for true freedom, wealth building, to help reverse climate change, and most importantly, to heal. Great context of Black wealth, success, and joy in land ownership and land activism as well.
February 27, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Narrator(s): Self Narrated (Kudos 🩷)
Steam: 🚫
The American legacy of land theft, particularly in the context of Black Americans, is deeply rooted in a history of systemic racism and land dispossession. This history has had lasting economic, social, and cultural impacts on African American communities, and the modern movement for Black land ownership is a response to that legacy, seeking to reclaim land and resources, restore wealth, and promote justice.
Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership, in my opinion, is extremely important to the discipline of Black studies. Brea Baker really did her research and presented a historical narrative that is both informative and engaging. She traced the experiences of her own family's history of having land violently taken from them in the book as well. Her analysis of the complexities within the Black experience adds depth to the conversation surrounding race, identity, and land ownership. Her work is a valuable contribution to the field.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in American land and power and how race has a significant impact on both. The struggle for Black land ownership is a critical part of the broader movement for racial justice and equity in the United States. This book was packed with details. Be ready to keep up
Format: Audiobook
Narrator(s): Self Narrated (Kudos 🩷)
Steam: 🚫
The American legacy of land theft, particularly in the context of Black Americans, is deeply rooted in a history of systemic racism and land dispossession. This history has had lasting economic, social, and cultural impacts on African American communities, and the modern movement for Black land ownership is a response to that legacy, seeking to reclaim land and resources, restore wealth, and promote justice.
Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership, in my opinion, is extremely important to the discipline of Black studies. Brea Baker really did her research and presented a historical narrative that is both informative and engaging. She traced the experiences of her own family's history of having land violently taken from them in the book as well. Her analysis of the complexities within the Black experience adds depth to the conversation surrounding race, identity, and land ownership. Her work is a valuable contribution to the field.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in American land and power and how race has a significant impact on both. The struggle for Black land ownership is a critical part of the broader movement for racial justice and equity in the United States. This book was packed with details. Be ready to keep up
August 18, 2024
A deeply personal and meticulously researched book, Ms. Baker shows us the backstory and impact of land theft, how it has affected Black and Indigenous people then and how it continues to affect them today and how the continued theft of Black and Indigenous land will affect everyone in the future and what it truly means for the land in general.
A must-read book, this will have you questioning so much [I know my eyes were opened to things I had NO IDEA about ], and will leave you wanting to learn even more.
I was invited to read/review this by the publisher [Random House Publishing Group - Random House/One World ] and I thank them, Brea Baker, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A must-read book, this will have you questioning so much [I know my eyes were opened to things I had NO IDEA about ], and will leave you wanting to learn even more.
I was invited to read/review this by the publisher [Random House Publishing Group - Random House/One World ] and I thank them, Brea Baker, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2025
Bold and well-supported. Baker does not hold back in directly advocating for reparations, specifically land reparations, for Black and Indigenous people. Listened to this on audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration. Some parts that stuck out to me:
- The way Baker weaved in her family’s personal story while still keeping a non-fiction focus
- Eminent domain is more likely to be used against Black people or minority communities
- A direction at the end for a reclaiming of land stewardship (how the people/land relationship existed before colonization)
- The way Baker weaved in her family’s personal story while still keeping a non-fiction focus
- Eminent domain is more likely to be used against Black people or minority communities
- A direction at the end for a reclaiming of land stewardship (how the people/land relationship existed before colonization)
July 17, 2026
This is exactly why I read Nonfiction. So much of history is left untold, and it is writers like Brea Baker who bring the “forgotten” history back to the surface. Rooted is a must read about systemic land theft and the various ways white people (specifically their ancestors) have managed to steal land from Black and Indigenous communities.
Read
December 29, 2024Very good and really helped me to understand how deeply important Black and Indigenous land ownership is in America.
February 16, 2025
Happy Black History Month (2025) ✊🏾
January 22, 2025
An incredible springboard for educating yourself on the history of land theft and genocide in America and arming yourself with strategies on how to fight against it
March 20, 2026
After reading this book I feel more strongly about reparations and Land Back for Black and indigenous peoples!
July 19, 2026
Really, really crucial read. This novel was phenomenal in spotlighting specific, thoroughly-researched case studies that left me thinking, "Wow, of course we did not learn this in school." For example, the 1898 Wilmington Massacre (and the massacres in other cities/states inspired by it). Rooted is so informative and necessary, it could (and should) be studied in curricula. Separately, Baker's voice is stunning--I could listen to her speak forever. Could be one of my most favorite audiobook listenings to date.
“I’m asking: what does it mean to reclaim that tainted history and desecrated land, land rightfully associated with trauma. What does it mean for such land to become not only a home, but also a vehicle for equity? As I write this, less than 1% of rural land in the United States is owned by Black people, despite the centuries of grueling labor our ancestors put into said land. This, combined with historic redlining and employment discrimination, has boxed Black people out of sovereignty and autonomy for far too long.”
“I’m asking: what does it mean to reclaim that tainted history and desecrated land, land rightfully associated with trauma. What does it mean for such land to become not only a home, but also a vehicle for equity? As I write this, less than 1% of rural land in the United States is owned by Black people, despite the centuries of grueling labor our ancestors put into said land. This, combined with historic redlining and employment discrimination, has boxed Black people out of sovereignty and autonomy for far too long.”
March 31, 2024
Interwoven with the author’s extensive family history and relationship to land ownership, Brea Baker provides a well-researched, heart-breaking and inspirational text on how white supremacy, violence, capitalism and government have tried for over a century to rob Black people of landownership. Furthermore, she delves into how Black people have individual and complex relationships with land and agrarian work. Baker does a good job of including Indigenous American history to the same time period, how the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands is directly tied to environmental degradation and racism. Reparations and sovereignty rights should be the goals for our society to acknowledge and attempt to make amend for past wrongs and abuse and toward healing the land we all need to survive.
I received an e-book via NetGalley.
I received an e-book via NetGalley.
October 25, 2024
Rooted is an ambitious and largely successful attempt by Baker to integrate two genres. The first is a memoir of her own African American family’s history of its relationship with land in North Carolina beginning in the post Civil War era. The second is a more general historical accounting of how this has occurred in the United States over the course of the last 400 years.
She effectively complimented the oral history gathered from her grandparents, parents, other family members along with her own recollections of her childhood with reviews of documents to provide a clear and at times moving account of the tremendous challenges her relatives overcame to obtain and to sustain their farmland. Timely quotations from some of them along with a large number of photos enhanced my engagement with this aspect of the book.
Her narrative about the more general history of African Americans’ struggles to gain land ownership was told in a journalistic, conversational, readable style of prose. But while doing so she referenced a number of books which I have already read on this topic. She also diligently, and correctly IMHO, placed the African American experience of forced, oftentimes violent displacement from the land in the context of that which had already been experienced by the Native American nations. Ie, she argued convincingly that white supremacist, settler colonialism based on racial capitalism has been the driving force behind this process ever since the Europeans arrived on this continent in 1492.
Baker correctly noted that some members of the so called Five Civilized Tribes engaged in chattel slavery of African Americans. She was wrong, however, in opining that the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole were ‘coaxed’ into doing this by the White Americans who owned plantations with slaves in the early 19th century. First, many Native American nations had already been enslaving captives from wars and kidnapping raids for generations. This was not based on racial distinctions, however. Second, many of the slave owning members of these tribes were biracial people whose White fathers had raised them on plantations with African American slaves. Ie, it was ‘normal’ from their perspective to have slaves. For those who wish to learn more about this issue I recommend Slavery and the Evolution of the Cherokee: 1540-1866 by Theda Perdue.
On the one hand, Baker’s thorough research was confirmed by 40+ pages of Notes, Influences, and Further Reading at the end of the book. On the other, while these were organized according to chapters they not clearly articulated by the page numbers where they were referred to in the narrative text. Thus, this aspect of Rooted was not reader friendly.
The last 5 chapters are a careful, at times impassioned argument that reparations are ‘…a racial, economic and environmental imperative…for African Americans, Native Americans, and others whose land has been stolen.’ Readers will learn about efforts being made in this regard in places like Manhattan Beach, California; Asheville, North Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland. A 2020 Task Force established by the state of California has made a series of recommendations in this regard. As of this time these are still being discussed and negotiated.
Despite its flaws I still recommend Rooted highly. Anyone wanting to learn about this tragic aspect of American history and the courageous efforts by African Americans to overcome it will benefit.
She effectively complimented the oral history gathered from her grandparents, parents, other family members along with her own recollections of her childhood with reviews of documents to provide a clear and at times moving account of the tremendous challenges her relatives overcame to obtain and to sustain their farmland. Timely quotations from some of them along with a large number of photos enhanced my engagement with this aspect of the book.
Her narrative about the more general history of African Americans’ struggles to gain land ownership was told in a journalistic, conversational, readable style of prose. But while doing so she referenced a number of books which I have already read on this topic. She also diligently, and correctly IMHO, placed the African American experience of forced, oftentimes violent displacement from the land in the context of that which had already been experienced by the Native American nations. Ie, she argued convincingly that white supremacist, settler colonialism based on racial capitalism has been the driving force behind this process ever since the Europeans arrived on this continent in 1492.
Baker correctly noted that some members of the so called Five Civilized Tribes engaged in chattel slavery of African Americans. She was wrong, however, in opining that the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole were ‘coaxed’ into doing this by the White Americans who owned plantations with slaves in the early 19th century. First, many Native American nations had already been enslaving captives from wars and kidnapping raids for generations. This was not based on racial distinctions, however. Second, many of the slave owning members of these tribes were biracial people whose White fathers had raised them on plantations with African American slaves. Ie, it was ‘normal’ from their perspective to have slaves. For those who wish to learn more about this issue I recommend Slavery and the Evolution of the Cherokee: 1540-1866 by Theda Perdue.
On the one hand, Baker’s thorough research was confirmed by 40+ pages of Notes, Influences, and Further Reading at the end of the book. On the other, while these were organized according to chapters they not clearly articulated by the page numbers where they were referred to in the narrative text. Thus, this aspect of Rooted was not reader friendly.
The last 5 chapters are a careful, at times impassioned argument that reparations are ‘…a racial, economic and environmental imperative…for African Americans, Native Americans, and others whose land has been stolen.’ Readers will learn about efforts being made in this regard in places like Manhattan Beach, California; Asheville, North Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland. A 2020 Task Force established by the state of California has made a series of recommendations in this regard. As of this time these are still being discussed and negotiated.
Despite its flaws I still recommend Rooted highly. Anyone wanting to learn about this tragic aspect of American history and the courageous efforts by African Americans to overcome it will benefit.
April 17, 2026
I learned a lot from this author! I listened to the audiobook, narrated by her, and would recommend that format. At first I wasn't sure how much I would get out of it, as she starts with slavery, but then goes into the history of land theft from post-slavery to the present day, and a lot of it has to do with the theft of land from black farmers in particular, who today make up less than 2% of farmers in the U.S., down from about 15% in 1920. I had to keep pausing the audio to take note of things that stood out to me including:
-Wilmington Massacre of 1898, which was used as a blueprint for other white supremacists to drive black land owners out of towns, including in Georgia where it helped a racist become governor. Part of the rhetoric used was claiming black men were raping white women, and using those fears to drive white violence (reminds me of anti-immigrant BS today that is used to drive racist policies including ICE and January 6)
-In that massacre, lots of deeds were burned, and a 2006 report claimed that 'no land was stolen', since those records were gone, despite long oral histories of families being pushed off the land. In Wilmington today, only 20% of the population is black, and gentrification and COVID-19 have further driven black people out of their homes
-Lake Lanier
-The idea of agricultural trauma and land based trauma, which pushed black families to move north during the Great Migration both due to opportunity as well as violence
-One story of a prominent white family who owned grocery stores in North Carolina, and how to buy groceries black farmers would put their animals and equipment up, then their land, eventually lose the land when in debt, and then having to lease the land that was once theirs from this family
-The Morrill Act set up land grant colleges AND the USDA, which prioritized monoculture farming and deprioritized traditional, black, and Indigenous farming methods
-The USDA gives loans based on soil quality, and since black farmers often started with poor soil quality, they therefore were prevented from getting loans. These loans also prioritized monoculture, and the one month window to apply was at the height of growing season
-Systemic racism to this day within the USDA. In some cases employees worked directly with white farmers (pre-1980s I believe) to condemn farmland and give it to white farmers instead of putting it up for public sale. Lots of intimidation tactics
-History of eminent domain being used to break up communities. Over 2/3 of eminent domain cases were against Black communities, and it's been shown that after seizure, families were worse off than before, and the idea of "eminent domain abuse"
-98% of land today is owned by white Americans. 72% of white Americans own homes compared to 42% of black Americans, and that's been the case consistently for the past 100 years
-1999 federal court case Pigford v. Glickman, which showed that the USDA discriminated against black farmers for loans and assistance. Provided $50k for anyone who was discriminated against between 1981-1996, but of course few were deemed qualified.
I also appreciated the discussions of cultural respect easements and the need for Black Indigenous solidarity, and how Land Back must contend with both communities. Lots I learned and gave me a much better perspective of farming today and the ripples of racism through generations in a different lens.
-Wilmington Massacre of 1898, which was used as a blueprint for other white supremacists to drive black land owners out of towns, including in Georgia where it helped a racist become governor. Part of the rhetoric used was claiming black men were raping white women, and using those fears to drive white violence (reminds me of anti-immigrant BS today that is used to drive racist policies including ICE and January 6)
-In that massacre, lots of deeds were burned, and a 2006 report claimed that 'no land was stolen', since those records were gone, despite long oral histories of families being pushed off the land. In Wilmington today, only 20% of the population is black, and gentrification and COVID-19 have further driven black people out of their homes
-Lake Lanier
-The idea of agricultural trauma and land based trauma, which pushed black families to move north during the Great Migration both due to opportunity as well as violence
-One story of a prominent white family who owned grocery stores in North Carolina, and how to buy groceries black farmers would put their animals and equipment up, then their land, eventually lose the land when in debt, and then having to lease the land that was once theirs from this family
-The Morrill Act set up land grant colleges AND the USDA, which prioritized monoculture farming and deprioritized traditional, black, and Indigenous farming methods
-The USDA gives loans based on soil quality, and since black farmers often started with poor soil quality, they therefore were prevented from getting loans. These loans also prioritized monoculture, and the one month window to apply was at the height of growing season
-Systemic racism to this day within the USDA. In some cases employees worked directly with white farmers (pre-1980s I believe) to condemn farmland and give it to white farmers instead of putting it up for public sale. Lots of intimidation tactics
-History of eminent domain being used to break up communities. Over 2/3 of eminent domain cases were against Black communities, and it's been shown that after seizure, families were worse off than before, and the idea of "eminent domain abuse"
-98% of land today is owned by white Americans. 72% of white Americans own homes compared to 42% of black Americans, and that's been the case consistently for the past 100 years
-1999 federal court case Pigford v. Glickman, which showed that the USDA discriminated against black farmers for loans and assistance. Provided $50k for anyone who was discriminated against between 1981-1996, but of course few were deemed qualified.
I also appreciated the discussions of cultural respect easements and the need for Black Indigenous solidarity, and how Land Back must contend with both communities. Lots I learned and gave me a much better perspective of farming today and the ripples of racism through generations in a different lens.
May 10, 2024
ROOTED |
Thank you so much @oneworldbooks #gifted copy.
This comes out in June!
From the words of Malcolm X, "Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis for all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, inequality."
Since time immemorial, land has been one of the major markers of the depiction of freedom. The signification of land has always been inextricably tied to the sense of one's personal freedom, to show one is capable of surviving off the land, exploring new lands, free to choose where one goes, off into the distance or settling where one wants. Land is survival. Land is the ability to choose and to provide and to hand down to future generations a means of sustenance, shelter and wealth.
Land has also, as Baker demonstrates, been a point over which white men in power have routinely denied Black Americans the right to buy, hold, possess and bequeath to family and it has cost black Americans greatly.
After slavery, many freedmen and women sought to own land and were tied into worse contracts as sharecroppers; this we all know. But there were also mass traumas and fearmongering of mobs who forced Black Americans to flee. Many fled and abandoned dreams of retaining land in the South. And then there was the redlining, segregation, the steamrolling and devaluation of black land, the denial of loans with inflated taxes in hopes of repossession.
Then when all else fails there's always eminent domain that the city can call upon.
I found that the author created a very readable, comprehensive and illuminating read on the history of the denial of American land to black Americans, farmers specifically.
This is in conversation with that Clint Smith's How The Word Is Passed as well as The Color of Law.
Is this one on your radar??
4.5
Thank you so much @oneworldbooks #gifted copy.
This comes out in June!
From the words of Malcolm X, "Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis for all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, inequality."
Since time immemorial, land has been one of the major markers of the depiction of freedom. The signification of land has always been inextricably tied to the sense of one's personal freedom, to show one is capable of surviving off the land, exploring new lands, free to choose where one goes, off into the distance or settling where one wants. Land is survival. Land is the ability to choose and to provide and to hand down to future generations a means of sustenance, shelter and wealth.
Land has also, as Baker demonstrates, been a point over which white men in power have routinely denied Black Americans the right to buy, hold, possess and bequeath to family and it has cost black Americans greatly.
After slavery, many freedmen and women sought to own land and were tied into worse contracts as sharecroppers; this we all know. But there were also mass traumas and fearmongering of mobs who forced Black Americans to flee. Many fled and abandoned dreams of retaining land in the South. And then there was the redlining, segregation, the steamrolling and devaluation of black land, the denial of loans with inflated taxes in hopes of repossession.
Then when all else fails there's always eminent domain that the city can call upon.
I found that the author created a very readable, comprehensive and illuminating read on the history of the denial of American land to black Americans, farmers specifically.
This is in conversation with that Clint Smith's How The Word Is Passed as well as The Color of Law.
Is this one on your radar??
4.5
November 3, 2024
Brea Baker's family owns a large swath of land. Through personal anecdotes and the history of the U.S. she explains why they fought so hard to protect and expand their land holdings, affectionately called "Baker's Acres."
She takes the reader through slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and other U.S. legislation regarding who could own land. She uses her family as an example, but the bulk of the book is more research driven. Topics include self-sustaining maroon communities that acted as sanctuaries, the governmental weapon of eminent domain, the inequity of the USDA, and how to balance reparations for African Americans with the Land Back movement for Native Americans.
She describes how African Americans and Native Americans subscribe to the idea of reciprocity with the land, which creates healthier ecosystems that are more sustainable. She talks about various projects and leaders in the field that showcase these findings. She pulls quotes and stories from so many amazing resources to illustrate her points.
The family tree in the beginning threw me off a bit, as I wasn't expecting to need such detail. I did also feel that Baker's family history was applied unevenly to the text. There would be long sections about it, then she'd get more into a general history and background, before bringing it up again.
As I started, I was questioning how her calls for land as reparations would contend with the fact that this was originally inhabited by Indigenous tribes. I was glad that she mentioned and included the original stewards in her argument.
This book puts forth a wealth of knowledge on land ownership and Baker has a clear message and vision for how to move forward.
She takes the reader through slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and other U.S. legislation regarding who could own land. She uses her family as an example, but the bulk of the book is more research driven. Topics include self-sustaining maroon communities that acted as sanctuaries, the governmental weapon of eminent domain, the inequity of the USDA, and how to balance reparations for African Americans with the Land Back movement for Native Americans.
She describes how African Americans and Native Americans subscribe to the idea of reciprocity with the land, which creates healthier ecosystems that are more sustainable. She talks about various projects and leaders in the field that showcase these findings. She pulls quotes and stories from so many amazing resources to illustrate her points.
The family tree in the beginning threw me off a bit, as I wasn't expecting to need such detail. I did also feel that Baker's family history was applied unevenly to the text. There would be long sections about it, then she'd get more into a general history and background, before bringing it up again.
As I started, I was questioning how her calls for land as reparations would contend with the fact that this was originally inhabited by Indigenous tribes. I was glad that she mentioned and included the original stewards in her argument.
This book puts forth a wealth of knowledge on land ownership and Baker has a clear message and vision for how to move forward.
April 1, 2026
I’m going to start at the end. For this book titled “Roots: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership” written by: Brea Baker, you have to know that the section: Notes, Influences, and further reading is about little more than 20+pages of fine-print citations. (Pages 263- 286). The author gives the argument throughout this book that land was taken by white Americans using law, using force, using legal practices. That is not to say that what was done was just, but it was legal -at-the-time. The author Brea Baker combines personal reflections, commentary and historical analysis of the racial dominance from white American to take and take and take.
This book is not for the un-informed. This is for a person that truly wants to understand history, understand where we are currently in history, and shape the future into a better, stronger future. I recommend this book if you understand that we are currently in a 4th industrial revolution, and want that juxtaposition-pivotal-point to mean something for a future where humans see humanity as sentient beings. If you follow Future Forward politics, this is a great book to add to your understanding of history.
In part 4: The Outcome “The elders were wise. They knew that man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led to lack of respect for humans, too.”
—CHIEF LUTHER STANDING BEAR, Sicangu and Oglala Lakota.
This book is not for the un-informed. This is for a person that truly wants to understand history, understand where we are currently in history, and shape the future into a better, stronger future. I recommend this book if you understand that we are currently in a 4th industrial revolution, and want that juxtaposition-pivotal-point to mean something for a future where humans see humanity as sentient beings. If you follow Future Forward politics, this is a great book to add to your understanding of history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2024
4.5 stars
Rooted straddles the line between memoir and historical text as author Brea Barker shares some of her and her family’s stories about land ownership, primarily in North Carolina. The book also gives a long lens view of Black land theft over the course of American history. The personal is political and the political is personal. It’s not easy to write a book like this at the right level. Brea Barker walked the line between family stories and researched history very well. If you’re aiming for the average person, you need to add context for people to understand the historical and current political setting. But you also need to cut to the chase or else the length of info will quickly become overwhelming for the reader. The author straddled that line very well. At times, I did find the authorial voice a bit jarring because I’d be evaluating it as an academic historical text but the descriptive language would become personalized. I did a google search & their website clearly states the author embraces “nuanced storytelling” and that encapsulated the reading experience for me.
*Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advance reader copy
Rooted straddles the line between memoir and historical text as author Brea Barker shares some of her and her family’s stories about land ownership, primarily in North Carolina. The book also gives a long lens view of Black land theft over the course of American history. The personal is political and the political is personal. It’s not easy to write a book like this at the right level. Brea Barker walked the line between family stories and researched history very well. If you’re aiming for the average person, you need to add context for people to understand the historical and current political setting. But you also need to cut to the chase or else the length of info will quickly become overwhelming for the reader. The author straddled that line very well. At times, I did find the authorial voice a bit jarring because I’d be evaluating it as an academic historical text but the descriptive language would become personalized. I did a google search & their website clearly states the author embraces “nuanced storytelling” and that encapsulated the reading experience for me.
*Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advance reader copy
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