Community land trusts: A different way to own land and build community power

Community land trusts make it possible for land to be owned collectively while individuals own the homes and businesses on it. The model grew out of the civil rights movement, when Black farmers in the rural South used collective ownership to build economic independence despite barriers to credit and land access.Today, community land trusts help preserve affordable housing and commercial spaces while giving communities more control over their future. The Rondo Community Land Trust in St. Paul is one example. It is working to rebuild community wealth and preserve the legacy of the historic Black neighborhood displaced by Interstate 94.MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how community land trusts work, why collective ownership matters and what the model could offer communities across Minnesota.Guests:Mikeya Griffin is the president and CEO of Rondo Community Land Trust, a nonprofit that creates permanently affordable homes and commercial spaces that keep land, opportunity, and legacy rooted in community. She grew up in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood and is the first African American woman to lead the 30-year-old organization.Debbie Montgomery is a community leader who grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul. She was the first Black woman police sergeant in St. Paul and the first Black woman elected to the St. Paul City Council. She also served as assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. At age 17, she became the youngest person to serve on the national board of the NAACP, an organization that works towards equity, political rights and social inclusion of Black people and people of color.