Law Center News
Institute director discusses heir's property at national agricultural conference
The National Agricultural Law Center, a partner of the Law Center, hosted its 10th Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference in Memphis, Tennessee at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey School of Law on June 8 and 9.
Ebony Woodruff, director of the Agricultural Law Institute for Underrepresented and Underserved Communities, presented "Heirs' Property: Practical Tips & Pointers for Resolving Title."
The Department of Agriculture has called heirs' property "the leading cause of Black involuntary land loss." Over 60% of all land Black-owned land is heirs' property. Heirs’ property has been a significant driver of Black agricultural land loss in the United States. In 1910, Black farmers in the United States owned more than 16 million acres of land; between 1920 and 1997, Black farmers lost at least 14 million acres. That land's compounded value is estimated to be worth approximately $326 Billion today.
Over 60% of all Black-owned land is heirs’ property. Although heirs’ property is most prevalent among Southern Black landowners, it is also an issue for Latino families in the southwest, Indigenous families on reservations, and low-income white families in Appalachia.
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