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Robert Thurman Jr., his daughter Robriana Thurman and his sisters Candence Thurman, Gail Thurman, Henrietta Thurman and Candace Thurman wait on Robert Thurman Sr. as he works a field in Pembroke Township. Credit: Rashod Taylor, special to ProPublica
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How White Conservationists Are Changing Life in a Black Farming Town

Pembroke Township is a case study in how predominantly white environmental groups can — willfully or not — wind up marginalizing communities of color by prioritizing conservation goals over the wishes of residents. Join us for a discussion on race, power and land stewardship.

Supported by McKinsey & Company. Learn more about sponsorships.

In partnership with Grist.

Pembroke Township, a historically Black community 70 miles south of Chicago, has a proud legacy of farming that stretches back to its founder, a formerly enslaved resident who homesteaded and parceled out 42 acres. But decades of financial hardship and, more recently, controversial land acquisitions by predominantly white conservation groups have imperiled Pembroke’s farming heritage and the livelihood of Black farmers there. Even though conservationists and Pembroke’s Black farmers share a love of the land, they often have very different views on how it should be used.

Join ProPublica and Grist for a live conversation about the threats to Black land ownership and its impact on America’s racial wealth gap, along with the racial disparities in environmental movements.

Supported by McKinsey & Company. Learn more about sponsorships.

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