Freedom Georgia Initiative Update: 19 Families Who Purchased 97 Acres of Land Plans Expansion, Looks to Raise $2.5M For Farming Operation

The Freedom Georgia Initiative has come a long way since 2020. The organization was founded for and by 19 Black families to help them purchase land. With the help of real estate agent Ashley Scott and entrepreneur Renee Walters, they helped many Black families secure up to 97 acres of land. 

But they haven’t stopped there, as their goal is to secure up to 502 acres of land a little outside Toomsboro, Georgia. Per their website, a few pillars of the Freedom Georgia Initiative are “environmentally sustainable-living, health & wellness, agricultural & economic development, arts & culture.”

The company was created to provide a haven for Black families amid racial turmoil, a global pandemic, and financial frustration caused by American history and COVID-19. Finurah followed up with a spokesperson to see where the organization is now, and, in a nutshell, they’re still expanding and laying down the groundwork to exceed their goals. 

“We are currently not set up as ‘working farm,'” a Freedom Farm spokesperson told Finurah. “We are still in pre-operations and working on soil amendments and capital raises. We are planning to raise $2.5 million over the next six months for a container operation for food-grade mushrooms.”

In addition to their ambition, FGI has indeed become the change they wanted to see through its expansion and hard work. 

“We also have 47 acres reserved for a sheep and cattle operation that will begin in December after we fence in the area,” the spokesperson said. “Currently, we have four members working the farm operations and will add approximately 30 to 40 more once the mushroom operation and cattle farm are operational.”

This past June, they even hosted their own Juneteenth Campout celebration on the enormous property, where many families participated. 

“This is where we plan to build a community for us, by us,” Freedom Georgia Initiative CEO Laura Cooper told 41WMGT. “Us as a Black culture having an opportunity to celebrate a day that’s just for us.”

One of the main reasons Cooper began this project was to provide a space Black people felt comfortable building their lives. First-time attendee and visitor to the Wilkinson County acreage Eric Wilson discovered the value and power of the space during the Juneteenth celebration. 

“I really just feel compelled to freedom and wanted to go ahead and participate,” Wilson said. “I’d love to come down and maybe one day build a house, so we’ll see what happens.”