Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) After the Civil War, over 1,200 Freedmen’s Settlements and Black Towns were established throughout the United States before and after emancipation, with at least 200 towns established by formerly enslaved individuals between 1866 and 1930, creating safe, self-sustaining, and thriving communities away from racial violence and economic discrimination. (2) Following the end of slavery, many African-American families who strived for land and housing security established their homes in Black Towns. These towns, founded and governed by recently-emancipated African-American people across the country, were known as Freedmen’s Settlements, Freedom Colonies, or Black Towns. (3) African Americans were often denied access to necessary public systems, such as education, housing, and neighborhood infrastructure. Across many areas of the United States, African-American people were barred from utilizing these services because of local segregating laws. (4) Freedmen’s Settlements were established around the provision of community services, often structured around schools and churches, as Black residents came together to fulfill necessary resources they had been previously denied. (5) Despite these communities being an example of African-American communities’ self-sufficiency amidst a discriminatory society, they were still terrorized by violent, White supremacist groups which initially excluded them from White systems. (6) Due to harsh circumstances which included violent attacks, exclusion from water and sanitation systems, as well as urban planning to remove Black Towns from railroads, many Freedmen’s Settlements, which are predominantly in rural areas, are underdeveloped and lack accessibility due to many systemic challenges. (7) Freedmen’s Settlements have been disproportionately impacted by economic and community underdevelopment, but have the potential to become thriving communities with proper support and investment that honors their rich history, meets the current needs of their residents, and uplifts community resilience and sustainable development. (8) Many of these Freedmen’s Settlements and Black Towns were destroyed by southern domestic terrorists, or otherwise became impoverished by centuries of public and private divestment. This includes uncompensated enslaved labor, failed Reconstruction, and the unmet Freedmen’s Bureau’s postemancipation promises to transition people who were formerly enslaved into the American economy, Jim Crow laws, economic and housing discrimination through redlining, public housing, and transportation policies, and environmental racism. Some towns withstood systemic racism and racial violence, and serve as examples of community resilience. (9) It is difficult to fully quantify and understand the history and current status of all the Freedmen’s Settlements in the United States due to lack of research and investment in analyzing, preserving, and supporting these historic settlements, towns, and communities, with a large part of this history held by the descendants of the founders and residents. (10) A lack of accurate information is typical of African-American history following the Civil War, due to disenfranchisement of African Americans from predominantly White, institution-based documentation. (11) Freedmen’s Settlements were often— (A) poorly recorded; (B) excluded from historical maps and databases; (C) recognized only through oral traditions and community memory; and (D) suffered from the negative consequences of systemic racism, such as the calculated exclusion from crucial infrastructure like water systems or railroads. (12) Recognizing and providing resources for Freedman’s Settlements through Federal identification, designation of historic status, comprehensive documentation, funding, and physical commemoration would lead to greater equity and investment in historically disadvantaged communities that have faced centuries of racism, discrimination, environmental and climate injustices, and violence. (13) A handful of former Freedmen’s Settlements have received State or local designation for their historic status, offering them an opportunity for preservation and public acknowledgment, such as the Freedmen’s Town Historic District in Houston, Texas. (14) There is an ongoing call, gaining much traction today, to preserve and document the history of Freedmen’s Settlements, leading to projects such as the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, the Mapping Blackness Project, as well as the Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal created by the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, among others. (15) The presence and location of historic Freedmen’s Settlements should be recorded. There should be coordinated national, State, local, and Tribal efforts to preserve and restore Freedmen’s Settlements. (16) Freedmen’s Settlements are an integral component of the heritage of the United States, and their preservation and revitalization crucial for the communities themselves as well as a more complete understanding of American history and the ongoing struggle for racial equity. Establishing a program to recognize previously underserved Freedmen’s Settlements would help communities identify and record these settlements, preserve local history, and better inform development decisions and community planning. (17) By investing in the preservation of Freedom Settlements, which include Freedmen’s Settlements, Freedom Colonies, and Black Towns, the United States has an opportunity to honor the legacy of self-determination and community-building that these settlements represent, while also creating models for sustainable, equitable community development that can inform broader efforts to address historical inequities and build stronger, more inclusive communities across the Nation.