40 Acres and a Lie tells the history of an often-misunderstood government program that gave formerly enslaved people land titles after the Civil War. A year and a half later, almost all the land had been taken back. Read more and listen to a three-part audio investigation here.
How We Uncovered the True Story of 40 Acres and a Mule
We hope this investigation is just the beginning of a larger effort to tell the stories of people forgotten by history.
Paradise Stolen
Black families were cheated out of their land on Skidaway Island. Now it’s a wealthy white enclave.
What We Are Owed
Technology and genealogy have now made the case for reparations specific—and undeniable.
40 Acres and a Lie
We compiled Reconstruction-era documents to identify 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans given land—only to have it returned to their enslavers.