ULC is hosting the historic Denver premier of Arc of Justice, a documentary focused on the origin of the Community Land Trust movement.

Join ULC on May 20th from 1-4 or May 21st from 10-1 for this catalytic event which will spur a new movement as the Denver region is working to address a severe lack of permanently affordable housing.

Translation, childcare and free parking passes will be provided. Please RSVP to bsorce@groundedsolutions.org as space will be limited at each showing.

Arc of Justice, part of the Streets of Dreams series, will trace the rise, fall, and rebirth of the first modern community land trust that was established in 1970 in Southwest Georgia.

Created out of the drive for economic self-sufficiency that developed within the Civil Rights Movement, New Communities, Inc. (NCI) was the largest black-owned land holding in the US at that time – nearly 6000 acres – and came under fierce attack by the white, Jim Crow establishment.

Arc of Justice includes interviews with Charles and Shirley Sherrod who were the founders of New Communities, and with Congressman John Lewis who was a key figure in helping to launch the land trust. All three are iconic civil rights leaders who speak eloquently and movingly about the importance of land ownership for African American families and the enormous obstacles they had to overcome to keep their dream alive.

In 1985, New Communities lost its land to foreclosure due to years of devastating drought and the discriminatory lending practices of the Farmers Home Administration. Twelve years after NCI’s tragic loss of its land, 400 black farmers filed a class action lawsuit against the US Dept. of Agriculture. In 2010, these farmers won the largest civil rights settlement in history and, with its portion of the payout, New Communities was reborn with the purchase of a 1,600 acre plantation about 30 miles from the original farm. This plantation had been established by one of the largest slaveholders in Georgia and will be dedicated to promoting racial healing and economic opportunity. Renamed Resora, it celebrated its grand opening in June 2014 which marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Arc of Justice captures this remarkable story and sheds light on an important yet little known part of land trust, racial justice and civil rights history.