The Struggle for the Land in America's Black Belt


credit: Flickriver

In an NPR (Nonprofit Quarterly) essay based on a talk delivered to the 2018 fellowship class of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) at Penn Center in St. Helena Island, South Carolina last month, Dr. Shirley Sherrod discusses the struggle in the South for civil rights and the ups, downs, and rebirth of New Communities.

Dr. Sherrod is the cofounder of the New Communities Inc., the nation's first community land trust. She shared her stories as a civil rights activist, her experience as a a former USDA Rural Development director for the state of Georgia, and her founding of New Communities.

In 1999, Shirley and her husband, Charles Sherrod, joined the class action plaintiffs in the lawsuit Pigford v. Glickman. In 2010, Sherrod was wrongfully dismissed from USDA. In 2012, in collaboration with Catherine Whitney, she authored a biography of her life, The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear.

To date, Sherrod and New Communities are still organizing farmers and doing training, with a focus on women. They have developed a worker-owned sewing co-op and developed other organizations with a commercial kitchen.

Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Big Country's Casa Program Seeks Volunteers to Support Local Foster Children
Foundation: Community Foundation of Abilene

Big Country's CASA program seeks volunteers to support local foster children.Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) organization has expressed a dire need for volunteers in the Big Country.CASA...more

Nwa Women in Business: Emily English

English has spent her career working at the intersection of farming and public health.Before joining the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group as a senior program officer, she was director of the...more

In South Africa, the Hard-Won Progress of A Youth-Led Hiv Education Program Is Threatened ...

In South Africa, the hard-won progress of a youth-led HIV education program is threatened by international funding cuts."It provides a safe environment for us," says one youth volunteer of the...more

From Rural Ukraine to Global Recognition: The Self-Taught Journey of Postproduction Artist ...

Galina Trush was born in 1990 in central Ukraine.The outbreak of war in Eastern Ukraine, combined with professional and financial limitations, forced Trush to make another life-changing decision:...more

New Youth Program Offerings For Chapters

EAA has created the Youth Program Coordinator role to recognize and support volunteers leading these youth programs beyond Young Eagles flights and rallies.As more chapters expand their youth...more

Expanding Nonprofit Board Fellows Programs At Top Business Schools

Nonprofit board fellows programs (NBFPs) enable graduate students to serve as board members and consultants for local nonprofits.NBFPs match local nonprofits with MBA "fellows" who serve as...more

Chalk and Community At the Mission Memorial Day Weekend

The I Madonnari Street Painting Festival is a beloved tradition in Santa Barbara.The festival will take place at the Old Mission Santa Barbara Saturday-Monday, May 24-26, from 10 a.m.to noon.Proceeds...more

Biodiversity Innovation: Enabling Technology For Nature and Green Growth

Biodiversity genomics unlocks new ways to monitor species, protect pollinators, control invasive species and manage species of societal value.Despite these breakthroughs, Europe has not fully...more

Media Advisory

The UN's Science, Technology and Innovation Forum marks 10 years of bridging frontier knowledge and policy for sustainable development.World leaders will join pioneering scientists, innovators,...more

Dnc and Dccc Ramped up Pressure on House Gop With New Organizing Program and ...

The DNC and DCCC kicked off the "Fight to Save Medicaid" month of action, as part of a new DNC distributed organizing program.The initiative will target four vulnerable House Republicans: Tom Barrett...more


In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.



Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs


Organic Certification Cost Share Programs | Motor Vehicle Theft Protection Act Program | Wildlife Without Borders - Amphibians in Decline | Veterans State Hospital Care | Magnet Schools Assistance | Minerals and Mining on Indian Lands | Inspection Grading and Standardization | Systems Interoperability_Health and Human Services | | Site Style by YAML | Grants.gov | Grants | Grants News | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2025 Copyright Michael Saunders