A White Couple Donated 80 Acres in an Act of Reparations. Now It’s Becoming a Home for Black Farmers

As you leave Richmond, Virginia, and head roughly an hour southwest into Amelia County, the city fades and the noise dims. Confederate flags snap in the wind, Trump banners hang from homes, and watchful eyes follow strangers through small towns. For some, the quiet brings a feeling of calm, but for many Black passersby, it also brings unease — and a nervous hope that they’ve filled up on gas. Urban farmer Duron Chavis hopes it may soon also bring a sense of belonging and regeneration for a community of Black farmers. Chavis, who manages several prominent urban farms, orchards and green spaces in Richmond, is the board chairman of Central Virginia Agrarian Commons, a new nonprofit working to strengthen the region’s food systems by turning land over to Black farmers. Two years ago, the organization received an 80-acre land donation as a form of reparations from white Amelia County residents Callie and Dan Walker. Now, Chavis is working with the couple to turn their family land into a refuge for Black farmers and other farmers of color. The property, a portion of which currently serves as a family farm, will eventually become a multi-functional space where Black farmers can live,...