Honoring Black Resilience Through the Black Homesteader’s Project – MyHeritage June 17, 2021

I saw this on MyHeritage recently – Honoring Black Resilience Through the Black Homesteader’s Project: https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/06/honoring-black-resilience-through-the-black-homesteaders-project/. Much longer article.

By Bernice Bennett June 17, 2021 Family History, Genealogy, Guest Posts, Historical Records, Holidays

Juneteenth is a special day of celebration honoring the anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved communities in Texas on June 19, 1865. It’s a day to reflect on the past, but to also look forward and honor the resilience of African American communities.

In that vein, I’d like to share my own family’s story and an exciting historic initiative called the Black Homesteaders Project which is part of the Homestead National Historical Park Service.

In the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proposed new legislation called the Homestead Act of 1862. The idea was to offer, for a minimal fee, up to 160 acres of public land to any citizen willing to farm the land and become a “homesteader.” After 5 years, the homesteader earned the right to own the land outright.

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