At the time of his death in 1946, JW Edwards was rumored to be the wealthiest man in all of Arkansas, an incredible feat for the son of a formerly enslaved man. Seventy-seven years later, his descendants are battling for the ancestral lands owed to them, along with the reserve of natural resources they contain. Now, Where Is My Land is joining their fight, and we hope you will, too.

The lawyers, who were supposed to be working in the best interests of JW’s heirs’ rights nearly eight decades ago, preyed on the Black family instead and now receive more royalties than any of his kin. Instead of working in the best interest of “Jim W” Edwards' heirs, the Attorneys preyed upon them, stealing the promise of generational wealth afforded to them by their ancestors. Due to contracts and judges with questionable interests, the attorneys were permitted to take as much of JW’s estate to cover their services. This included land, mineral rights for nearly 200 wells, money, and possessions. And the exploitation did not stop there. Leases to oil companies like Ergon Oil, Lion Oil Company, and Monsanto have perpetuated the cycle of profit extraction not only from the Dardens but from the land itself. In addition to land exploitation, these oil companies have taunted the Darden Descendants by sending them penny checks, with a ledger attached showing millions of barrels of oil produced from their stolen mineral-rich land.

“The systemic racist laws and good ole’ boy network allowed for the theft of our inheritance. The Darden's were targeted and treated less than human, for no other reason than being BLACK," decried Kimberly Ann, a direct descendant and heir of “Old Joe” Edwards and “Jim W” Edwards.

Clyde Darden, a direct descendant of JW Edwards, has a negligible interest in the land: 1/1404. If an oil company were to make a billion dollars from the land, heirs would receive only $50.00. Individually, the heirs’ claims to their land are so small that pursuing litigation would be futile. That’s where you come in.

Sign this petition to signal to big oil companies that their days of extracting value from land that is not rightfully theirs are coming to a close. It’s time they are held accountable for decades of theft and exploitation.

#JusticeforJW #DardenDescendants 

You can help us fight for justice with the Darden Descendants!

1.     Sign this petition and tell us why it is essential to help the Darden Family receive what is rightfully owed to them. 

2.     Share the Darden family's story with your community and social media platforms. Feel free to share the links below. 

3.     Follow @whereismyland for updates on the Darden Family and their quest for reclamation and restitution. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok handles are below. 

Where Is My Land is an organization dedicated to helping Black people discover, search for, identify, and reclaim land taken from them to obtain full justice, reparation, and restitution for harm committed against them by government entities or private actors. 

Donations on this website go to Change.org, not Where Is My Land. Please Donate here, to Where Is My Land.

Instagram: @DardenDescendants

TikTok: @DardenDescendants

Facebook: Darden Descendants

#Justice4JW #DardenDescendants