失去了继承

During the 20th century, Black farmers lost 90 percent of their land, valued at $3260亿年. The number of Black farmers declined 98 percent, a much larger decline than for White farmers. 在黑人农场所有权的巅峰时期, in 1920, 925,708 Black farmers operated in the United States—one in seven farmers. Almost a quarter of them were landowners, collectively owning roughly 15.500万英亩. Today, only 48,697 Black farmers operate in the United States, or one in 72 farmers. 他们的农场共有4个.700万英亩的土地，大约是2000万英亩.占美国耕地的5%.

研究人员和其他人将大部分土地损失归因于由美国社会和联邦政府中存在的结构性种族主义驱动的复杂因素. One of the underappreciated causes of Black land and wealth loss is heirs’ property, 代代相传的财产没有明确的所有权，将所有权分配给当前的继承人. 继承人的财产的影响是如此之大，以至于美国农业部(USDA)称继承人的财产是“黑人非自愿失去土地的主要原因”."

With heirs’ property, multiple heirs—even dozens—own a fractional interest in the property. 任何关于土地的决定, 例如清除标题或其使用, 需要得到所有继承人的同意, but a single heir can force a partition sale through the court system. 这种制度直接导致土地流失, 掠夺性的投机者发现继承人愿意出售他们的股份，然后从法院命令的低于市场价格的拍卖中获利. 除了, heirs’ property prevents wealth-building and investment due to, 除其他原因外, 缺乏获得联邦贷款和资金的渠道, 比如为农场保护提供资金.

继承人的财产对黑人家庭影响很大. 不幸的是, 由于研究的诸多障碍, the actual prevalence of heirs’ property among Black farmers and landowners is not known. However, extrapolation of existing studies shows that 1.600万英亩，价值6美元.60亿年, are locked in heirs’ property across the 365 counties of the "Black Belt" area in 10 states. A new study released in 2023 shows that within 11 states in the South, 496,994 parcels (5.3 million acres valued at nearly $42 billion) may potentially be heirs’ property.

其他研究关注的是继承人财产在少数黑人农民和地主群体中的普遍程度. 虽然很难概括, 这些研究为黑人农民的土地在继承人财产中的潜在程度提供了一个发人深省的推断. 例如, 一项研究表明，超过三分之一的受访黑人农民受到继承人财产的影响. 这可能意味着除以10,000名拥有全部或部分土地的黑人农民可能正在经历继承人的财产问题. But not all landowners farm; some landowners may be actively prevented from farming by heirs’ property. 在另一个研究中, over half of 黑色的土地所有者 had their land partially or fully locked in heirs’ property, and some of those landowners did not use their land productively or at all.

继承人的财产需要联邦政府迅速采取行动，解决过去的不公正，防止未来的不公正. 美国农业部应该咨询那些曾经这样做过的人, 或者现在是, 受继承人财产影响, as well as community-based organizations and scholars with deep engagement in the topic. 以下的政策建议只是基础的，它们必须以实际经验为依据, 经常评估, and adjusted to serve Black farmers and landowners effectively. 我们建议国会采取以下行动:

Provide funding directly to Black farmers and landowners to resolve heirs’ property issues. 国会应该以赠款的形式直接向继承人的财产土地所有者提供可获得的资金. Any loan-based program should be coupled with loan forgiveness provisions. This could include loan cancellation through conservation programs.

Require the USDA to provide a nonburdensome path to establishing a farm number. USDA programs such as loans offered by the Farm Service Agency (金融服务管理局) and 农村发展, 以及由自然资源保护局(NRCS)和林务局提供的费用分摊计划, 要求农场编号, 但是，拥有继承土地的土地所有者和农民在获得土地时可能面临许多障碍. 建立农场编号的简单途径将使继承人的财产所有者有资格参加此类计划.

要求在环境质量激励计划(EQIP)和保护管理计划(CSP)的管理中公平对待拥有继承人财产的农民. 传统上，继承人财产生产商很难从EQIP和CSP获得资金，因为它们面临着与其他没有产权的生产商的竞争. The NRCS should establish a pool of funding specifically for heirs’ property producers.

Expand access to housing programs operated by the USDA. 这种扩张应包括单户住房直接住房贷款和担保贷款计划, 以及一项房屋维修计划，允许居住在继承人财产上的共有人维持足够的住房.

资助为黑人农民和土地所有者提供调解和法律服务的社区组织. 以社区为基础的组织在支持黑人地主和农民对抗土地流失方面有几十年的经验. Dedicated multiyear funding would enable continued and expanded services, including direct legal representation in title resolution actions, 遗产规划, 家庭中介, 以及法律建议.

资助黑人土地流失的跨学科研究, including studies assessing the scale of heirs’ property. 资金 should be allocated to research how heirs’ property is labeled, 简化数据收集和分析, and quantify the impact of Black land loss on families and communities. 研究和推广资金应指向1890年赠地机构和黑人粮食和农业专家, 土著, 或者其他有色人种.

Establish 继承人财产教育办公室, 研究, and Outreach. 全国各地, 当地的美国农业部办公室，包括林务局, 金融服务管理局, 农村发展, 和nrcs——正在对继承人的财产采取各种行动. 确保这些服务得到协调, 继承人财产教育办公室, 研究, and Outreach should be established in the USDA secretary’s office, or in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.

对采用《517888九五至尊娱乐》(UPHPA)的州提供激励. UPHPA为共有租户提供法律保护, 包括优先购买权, which allows them to make the first offer on the property. 该法案还包括以合理的市场价值出售财产的要求，并为农民提供了一种负担较轻的获取农场编号的途径.

为黑人新农民的进入提供便利, 土著, and other people of color into the profession through funding. Given the historic injustices perpetrated by the federal government and legal systems, 以及暴力的历史, 和恐吓, 黑色的土地所有者, 美国农业部应该为那些在获得和保留土地方面仍然遇到困难的黑人农民提供额外的补偿款, 为他们的运营提供资金, 并接受适当的技术援助.