The Paperwork Problem Quietly Taking Black Families’ Land

When a landowner dies without a will, state law typically divides ownership among all legal heirs, children, then grandchildren, then cousins, each holding a fractional, undivided interest in the whole property. This is called heirs’ property, and it is estimated to account for more than a third of Southern Black-owned land: roughly 3.5 million acres worth more than $28 billion. Researchers…