Black and Indigenous Intentional Communities Reclaim Land and Tradition
Marginalized communities across the United States are increasingly turning to intentional communities as a vital means to safeguard their traditional practices and ensure their transmission to younger generations. These communal spaces, rooted in shared values and a common vision, serve as sanctuaries for cultural preservation and healing, particularly for Black and Indigenous peoples facing historical displacement and systemic oppression.
Reverse-Gentrifying the Country: A Vision in California
In Boonville, California, Zappa Montag, 57, steps outside his home into a lush landscape of redwoods, Pacific madrones, and oak trees. At Black to the Land, an ecovillage spanning 76 hectares (189 acres), Montag and five other Black stewards live off-grid, relying on well water and solar power. This intentional community, located 115 miles north of San Francisco, features dozens of fruit trees and a large garden with squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, corn, and peppers, all nurtured by a small stream running through a valley.
Montag describes the project as an effort to "reverse-gentrify the country", a response to the gentrification he witnessed while living in Oakland. Conceived in 2015 with his then 16-year-old daughter, Bibi Sarai, Black to the Land was envisioned as a healing space for Black people surrounded by nature. After Bibi Sarai's unexpected death in 2023, Montag nearly abandoned the project, but reports of improved mood and wellness from visitors inspired him to continue their dream. He now resides there permanently, recruiting members and honing agriculture and building skills through mentorship from former members of the Emerald Earth Sanctuary, which gifted stewardship of the property to Black to the Land in a reparations-style agreement.
The community, with members aged from late 20s to mid-50s, sustains itself through fundraising, grants, and workshops on building, gardening, and foraging. African plant medicine practitioners create herbal remedies, and partnerships with organizations like Sankofa Roots and an ecovillage leader from Ghana enhance their land-based skills. Residents live in clay dwellings, share chores, and prioritize self-reliance in a precarious world.
Reconnecting with Ancestral Roots Across the Nation
Intentional communities, defined as small groups living together based on shared values, have long been a part of Black and Indigenous history. After enslavement, Black people formed tightknit groups for mutual support in business and agriculture. Today, from Alabama to Massachusetts, people of color are reviving these models to reconnect with ancestral agricultural and ecological knowledge.
At Ekvn-Yefolecv in Alabama, Indigenous Maskoke people have reacquired land from which they were forcibly removed 180 years ago. Established in 2018, this ecovillage operates under matriarchal governance, with residents speaking their ancestral language daily and practicing traditional foraging, growing Native crops, and reintroducing animals like buffalo and sturgeon. Unlike reservations, the land title is shared, and the community avoids processed foods, aiming to model ecological sustainability and cultural retention for other Indigenous groups.
In central Massachusetts, the Solidarity Arts & Education Decolonial Initiatives (SAEDi) collective provides a communal home for women of color. Managed by Afro-Latine film-maker Julivic Marquez and owned by founder K Melchor Quick Hall, the house supports residents through affordable rent, shared chores, and childcare. Plans include planting a garden and hosting elders for green residencies to archive traditional knowledge digitally, enhancing security amid rising xenophobic and racist policies.
Historical Foundations and Future Aspirations
The modern movement traces back to New Communities in Albany, Georgia, founded in 1969 by civil rights leaders like Charles and Shirley Sherrod. As the first community land trust in the U.S., it aimed to support Black sharecroppers displaced for voting, though it faced challenges from federal funding blocks. After a $12 million settlement for discrimination in 2009, New Communities now mentors younger generations on creating intentional communities and land trusts.
Crystal Byrd Farmer of the Bipoc Intentional Community Council notes a growing "back-to-the-land movement" among people of color seeking farming communities. While most U.S. intentional communities are majority white due to capital access, Black and brown people often feel estranged in these spaces, driving them to create their own. Farmer emphasizes that intentional communities, though portrayed as radical, echo ancient human practices of small-group living and mutual support.
For Montag, the land at Black to the Land offers a connection to his daughter, with a clay and rock reading bench memorializing Bibi Sarai. Future plans include grief rituals and a memorial garden, emphasizing joy and healing. As he reflects, "Just enjoying ourselves has got to be part of it", highlighting the restorative power of these communal spaces in fostering resilience and cultural continuity.
