Bob Swann, pt 2

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On this week's Peace of History:
Bob Swann became acquainted with the Albany Movement when the Committee for Non-Violent Action organized the Quebec to Guantanamo Walk in 1963. The participants were arrested for attempting to have an integrated march through Albany, Georgia and spent over a month in jail. Through this experience, Bob met activists Slater King, C.B. King, and Charles Sherrod, and together they began discussions about breaking the pattern of white land-holding in the South. People from a number of organizations came together to help create New Communities, Inc., a 5000 acre tract of land with plans for farming and affordable housing. The film Arc of Justice: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Beloved Community tells the story of this first community land trust in the United States (https://www.arcofjusticefilm.com). This week, people from around the country will gather in Albany, Georgia to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of New Communities, Inc. (https://www.nci50thanniversary.com)

Joanne Sheehan, who is VPT’s board chair and the President of the Board of the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust, and Sharmaine Gregor, their Vice President, will write us from the celebration on Friday.

Next week: We'll tell you about Marj Swann -- a charter member of Congress of Racial Equality in 1942, a well-respected nonviolence trainer, and a partner of Bob Swann -- whose characterization as a "Bad Mother" for going to jail in her attempts to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons was documented in Redbook Magazine.