The Rise of a White Ethnostate Amidst a Growing US Political White Supremacy Movement

In October 2023, a faction known as Return to the Land initiated its inaugural “Whites only community” in Arkansas’s Ozark Mountains, swiftly following it with a second establishment in 2025. Identifying as a “private membership association,” they assert their goal of forming “European heritage communities” and aspire to establish four additional enclaves, including another site within the Ozarks and two in Appalachia. This group operates under the belief that such a designation allows for the legal exclusion of individuals based on race, religion, and sexual orientation. Their co-founder Eric Orwoll articulates their objective succinctly: “You want a white nation? Build a white town … it can be done.” This endeavor reflects broader white nationalist ambitions, though they refrain from labeling themselves as such. Historical parallels exist with past movements, such as the Northwest Imperative, which further exemplify ongoing attempts to solidify white ethnostates across the U.S., posing a significant challenge to communal diversity.