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In 1966, in Sumter County, Alabama, a group of forty Black families, all former sharecroppers, came together to form the Panola Land Buying Association (PLBA). These families had been evicted from the land they had worked due to a disagreement over their rightful share of deferred acreage payments from the Department of Agriculture. With nowhere else to go, they officially established the PLBA in 1967. With support from the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC), they successfully acquired a 1,164-acre piece of land through a foreclosure sale. Located in Epes, Sumter County, Alabama, this land became a new home for the PLBA members and served as the site for the FSC’s Rural Training and Research Center.
Panola Land Buyers' Association (PLBA)
President: Charles Williams
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