Land ownership has always been a cornerstone to building wealth and financial security. Colonists from Europe were guaranteed 100 acres just for settling here.  Moreover, even before America was a country, there were statutes in the colonies that required masters to give their white indentured servants land when they were set free.  For example, the 1705 statute in Virginia specified that freed white indentured slaves must be given 50 acres of land, 30 shillings, 10 bushels of corn, and a musket. Black slaves, whether indentured or not, were not given this kind of safety net to start their freed life. It wasn’t until after the Civil War that Black Americans would amass the largest amount of farmland they would ever own in the United States. They purchased every available and affordable plot of land that they could despite broken promises (like “40 acres and a mule”), ineligibility to participate in the farm subsidies, increasing segregation laws and land ownership disputes. At one point Black Americans owned nearly 20 million acres of land in the South at that time. Today they barely own 1 million acres which equals about 0.52% of America's farmland. The massive lost of land was mainly due to government action like the USDA's discriminatory lending practices, deception, racism, violence and murder.

Our children have always played a role in the fight for civil rights across America. For example, more than 1,000 brave Black school children marched through Birmingham, Alabama on May 2, 1963 to protest against segregation.  This nonviolent demonstration, called the Children's Crusade, was met with arrests that included a 6-year-old girl.  The children marched again the next day and this time they were met with violence when police chief Bull Conner ordered officers to douse the peaceful demonstrators with high pressure water hoses and turn loose large dogs on the group. This incident and related events helped push the Civil Rights bill through Congress, as well as desegregate Alabama and the rest of America. Civil rights is an everyone issue that has no age requirement to create change. When it comes to demanding equality and justice, children can be as brave and inspiring as any adult.

Sometimes we must do strange things to earn a living in America. Paul Revere Williams was the first African American to become a certified architect west of the Mississippi and the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  He designed more than 3,000 buildings, including many of L.A.’s most iconic buildings, as well as luxury homes for Hollywood’s elite--- work which earned him the nickname of “architect to the stars.” Williams was a much sought-after creative architect during a period when racial discrimination was still openly practiced in America. In order to be successful, he taught himself some rather peculiar skills in order to allow his talent to shine in the face of racism. For example, Williams was renowned for his uncanny ability to draw upside down.  He taught himself to do this for the benefit of white clients who needed to see his concepts but would not sit next to him because he was Black. He also adopted the habit of keeping his hands clasped behind his back when meeting white clients in order to avoid the awkwardness of handshaking with people who did not want to shake his because he was Black. Though he was subjected to blatant racism, Williams never allowed it to interfere with his work. Sad isn’t it, that such a talented man had to resort to such behavior to get hired by white people.