The Pursuit of Home

The inaugural In Pursuit of Home convening brought together funders, preservationists, policy leaders, and community advocates to explore how ownership, preservation, and equity intersect to shape the future of American prosperity. Hosted on Martha’s Vineyard, a symbol of cultural heritage and resilience, the gathering marked the first public activation of the Home and Land Preservation initiative.

Participants examined the forces threatening home and land ownership, from heirs’ property to tangled titles, to displacement, and shared solutions that strengthen economic mobility and community wellbeing.

What We Explored

The afternoon opened with a powerful talk by Christopher J. Tyson, President of the National Community Stabilization Trust, who grounded the room in truth and urgency. He spoke to how tangled titles, heirs’ property, and tax liens have long stripped families of the ability to keep their homes and pass down generational wealth. But more than data or definitions, Tyson reminded us that these are deeply human stories, stories about legacy, identity, and the right to belong.

That spirit carried into a series of conversations that moved the audience from awareness to action. Joanna Trotter of JPMorgan Chase moderated two rich discussions: one with S. Kathryn Allen of Answer Title, who unpacked the legal and procedural traps that keep families bound by tangled titles, and another with Nneka Nnamdi, Founder of the SOS Fund, who challenged us to rethink tax lien systems that too often destabilize the very neighborhoods they aim to support. Both sessions made clear that if we want to build generational wealth, we must first dismantle the structural barriers to ownership itself.

In one of the day’s most personal moments, Reggie Van Lee, Executive Partner and Managing Director at AlixPartners, shared the story of his family’s fight to hold onto their land — a moving reminder that preservation is about more than property. It’s about memory, perseverance, and the promise that each generation can build upon the one before it.

The conversation then expanded to creative solutions and collective imagination. Ted Archer, Managing Director and Global Head of Business Partner Diversity at JPMorgan Chase, led a forward-looking dialogue with Aarica Coleman, President & CEO of Land Bank Twin Cities, and April De Simone, Founder of Vesi. Together, they explored how innovative financial models, land banks, and design strategies can work hand in hand to unlock ownership at scale — ensuring that preservation is not a privilege, but a shared right.

Each exchange built on the next, connecting the dots between law, finance, culture, and community and making clear that the path to a stronger, more inclusive economy begins with secure ownership.

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The Experience

Beyond dialogue, In Pursuit of Home invited participants to feel the issue through a multi-sensory installation that transformed understanding into empathy.

Born from the vision of the BLK GRVTY Preservation Table and brought to life by April De Simone and The Practice of Democracy, the exhibit immersed attendees in the emotional and cultural dimensions of home and land preservation.

What happened here:

• Stories came alive through immersive experiences connecting personal narratives to systemic challenges.
• Attendees moved through the space at their own pace, finding moments of reflection and recognition.
• The abstract became tangible as the impact of land loss was seen, felt, and understood in new ways.
• Real-time connections formed as the installation sparked conversations between strangers who became collaborators.
  
  

These images capture people engaging not just with information, but with emotion. With memory, belonging, and possibility.

This is why storytelling and experience matter alongside policy and finance: because this work is about more than transactions. It’s about legacy, security, and the right to place.

Deep gratitude to April De Simone and The Practice of Democracy for the visionary design work that made this transformative experience possible.

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Looking Ahead

The In Pursuit of Home convening is only the beginning. Through the Home and Land Preservation Table, BLK GRVTY and our partners—including The Practice of Democracy and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—are advancing collaborative projects that address heirs’ property, tax lien reform, and community ownership. The installation and its stories will continue to travel to new cities in 2026, expanding the movement to protect home, land, and legacy nationwide.

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Join us in the pursuit of home

Preserving home and land is one of the most urgent wealth and justice strategies of our time. We invite you to be part of this growing movement.

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