Don't Lose Your Land!

Hello MCJ family. This post is all about focusing attention on land ownership, specifically to bring attention to and reverse a very alarming trend with African American families in the United States. The alarming trend I'm referring to is the rate that black people are losing the land that has been in their families for several generations.

The vast majority of the land we're referring to is farmland and most of that farmland is in the south, whether we're talking about Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama or the Carolinas. As you look across our Metcalf, Collins, and Johnson family tree branches we will find land ownership of farmland in southern states is common in our family. So this information we're sharing will apply to a substantial percentage of family members who receive this website blog post.

Did you know that if you miss just a single year of not paying the land tax to the county of your land ownership that your land can be sold at the county tax sale of delinquent tax properties? Now, it is also true that after missing that year of not paying your county tax bill that you have up to three years to come in and satisfy the overdue amount of your tax bill. When you pay the outstanding amount of your delinquent tax bill the property remains yours and the tax sale that occurred on your property is then nullified. Nevertheless, I just find it shocking that the law allows your land to be sold out from under you after just a short period of inattention or oversight on your part which could result in you losing your land! Don't let it happen, pay your tax bill on time!

The next thing that is very important to our family relating to this issue is that the land speculators are very active these days and they are sending out multiple letters and flyers offering to purchase your land for rates that may seem attractive to some. Some may look at the offer, consider that the land is in many cases not generating much if any revenue and is only a yearly drain on your finances because you have to keep paying the taxes every year. It's quite understandable that you may consider selling your land under these circumstances. All we ask is that you make a good faith effort to make a deal with another family member first, and preferably another family member who desires to keep the land in the family. Selling to outside parties will mean they will come in and commence to using that land for anything they want and adjacent family land owners will have to deal with that.

The final point I'd like to make on this issue is this. Thankfully, help is on the way. Why do i say that? Well, basically because I've heard several family members complain about the current situation where we own land and pay the taxes every year and it doesn't generate any money so at this point the land happens to just represent a drain on family finances. We know about programs with the federal government which pay you an annual stipend to enroll acreage in the program for a certain number of years. We're thinking of putting together a small seminar (if enough people show interest) at the family reunion in order to share all the opportunities we know about to generate revenue from your land and to have your land go from being a liability to being an asset like it should be.

That's about it for now, much more to come. We'll expect another update on reunion planning soon as well as more info on the raffle fund raisers Arizona is planning and other exciting things.

Much Love,

MCJ Reunion, Inc.