AMERICAN BEACH, Fla. — For generations, land has represented more than property for Black families — it has meant independence, security and a legacy to pass down. A free two-day workshop at historic American Beach aims to help families make sure that legacy isn’t lost.
Friends of American Beach will host a Generational Wealth & Heirs’ Property Workshop Sept. 25-26 at the American Beach Community Center on Amelia Island. Supported by a grant from the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, the event will focus on protecting family property, establishing clear ownership and using land to build generational wealth.
The workshop comes amid a dramatic historical decline in Black land ownership. Black farmers owned more than 16 million acres nationwide at their early 20th-century peak, but researchers have documented enormous losses of Black-owned farmland and the wealth associated with it over subsequent decades.
One factor has been heirs’ property, which can result when property passes through generations without a will or formal estate process. Multiple descendants may eventually share ownership, sometimes without realizing they have an interest in the property. Such arrangements can complicate financing, property improvements and sales while increasing vulnerability to partition actions and other forms of land loss.
The American Beach sessions will address estate planning, property taxes, family-tree mapping, heirs’ property lending programs and steps families can take to move from tangled titles to clear ownership.
Representatives from the Nassau County Tax Collector’s Office, Jacksonville University College of Law, University of Florida College of Law’s Center for Governmental Responsibility, Three Rivers Legal Services and Federation of Southern Cooperatives are scheduled to participate.
“Preserving our land is a critical step in preserving our heritage and securing financial stability for future generations,” said Carolyn Jones, Friends of American Beach grants and fundraising chairperson.
The setting carries particular significance. American Beach was founded in 1935 by A.L. Lewis, president of Jacksonville’s Afro-American Life Insurance Co., as an oceanfront community where African Americans could own property and enjoy the beach during segregation.
Nearly a century later, Friends of American Beach is connecting that history of Black land ownership to a modern challenge: helping families keep what previous generations worked to acquire.
The free workshop will be held at the American Beach Community Center, 1600 Julia St. Snacks will be provided both days, with lunch Saturday. Registration is required and space is limited.
Register for the Generational Wealth & Heirs’ Property Workshop