Generations of Black-Owned Land Lost: Georgia Court Hands Family Farm to Railroad in Latest Chapter of Dispossession

In yet another chapter of the long, painful history of Black land dispossession in America, the Georgia Court of Appeals has sanctioned what many view as the theft of generational Black-owned land in Sparta, Georgia. On Wednesday, the court upheld a lower court's ruling allowing Sandersville Railroad to exercise eminent domain against Blaine Smith and other Black landowners to construct a rail spur through their properties.

For nearly three years, the Smiths and their neighbors have fought to protect land that has sustained their family across generations, a legacy that mirrors the broader struggle of Black Americans who have historically lost land through legal maneuvering, discriminatory practices, and corporate encroachment. The landowners argued that the rail spur does not constitute public use and raised concerns about environmental hazards, noise pollution, and the erosion of generational wealth, concerns repeatedly dismissed by the Georgia Public Service Commission and Fulton County Superior Court.

"This case has always been about protecting land that has been in my family for generations so we'll continue to fight this for as long as we can," Smith said. He emphasized the broader implications, noting the fight "is about protecting all Georgia property owners from this type of abuse."

Presiding Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes offered little recourse, writing that "the only remaining remedy for the landowners must lie with either the General Assembly" or the voters. Meanwhile, Sandersville Railroad president Benjamin Tarbutton III celebrated the decision, claiming the spur will "deliver lasting public benefits to Hancock County with minimal impact on neighboring properties," a familiar framing that has long justified the displacement of Black communities under the banner of progress.

Such rulings echo the systemic patterns that have stripped Black Americans of millions of acres throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, where "public use" and economic development have repeatedly served as legal cover for dispossession. Yet the Smiths refuse to surrender. Diane Smith shared her faith through the ordeal: "We've come this far for years, and this fight has not been an easy one, but I just trust that God is going to really hand us up the burden that we really deserve." The family plans to appeal, potentially to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Link: Capital B News