Ross Family Land
The Ross family has held their land since 1892, steadfastly defending their ownership through generations of legal challenges. Their story reflects a broader struggle experienced by many Black families in Texas who strive to retain inherited property in the face of complex legal systems and mounting costs.
Ollie Ross, 62, puts a piece of the vine in his mouth from a tree in their family land. Ross and his brothers had fond memories of their adventures on the land when they were younger. “We used to break them off and smoke them until we got sick,” Ross said.
Ollie Ross, 62, stops the tractor on a piece of land that was historically used to grow crops in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. The land was purchased by the family in 1892 and has been passed down ever since.
In the early days, the land was a productive farming hub where the Rosses grew rice and corn. Though the fields are no longer active, traces of past harvests still dot the landscape, silently telling the story of a once-thriving agricultural life.
The Ross family points out the fences involved in a boundary dispute for the family in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Over time, the family’s holdings have diminished. Disputes over boundaries and gradual land sales have chipped away at the original expanse. Still, the Ross' are unwavering in their mission to safeguard what remains, vowing to keep the land in the family’s hands for generations to come.
Jemie DeRelle “Rell” Williams, 64, looks at a collage of family photos hung up on the wall in their home in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Rell lives in a house that sits on the land which stores photos and monuments of the family through the years.
Ollie Ross and Jemie DeRelle "Rell" Williams now reside on opposite ends of the property, each preserving the family’s legacy in homes adorned with historic photos and keepsakes. For owners of heirs’ property like them, mapping family lineage has become essential—not only as a record of heritage, but as a legal defense in claims to the land.
Shelton L. Ross, 71, smokes a cigarette on the back of the family tailer in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Heirs’ property refers to land passed down without a clear title, often still in the name of the deceased. This murky legal status can make ownership difficult to prove and leaves families susceptible to disputes, forced partition sales, or loss of the land altogether.
A 1953 Chevy Coupe sits on the Ross family land in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. The car used to be green when the family used it around town and to work around the farm. Most famously, the brothers recalled them using the car to transport a stranded calf on the opposite side of the land back to the herd when they were kids.
According to the Washington Post, Black farmers have lost over 12 million acres of land in the past century.
Ollie Ross, 62, an heir to the family land walks into his home in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Ollie lives on the larger plot of the 2 pieces of Ross land with his chickens, dogs and herd of cows.
Despite these challenges, the Ross family’s connection to the land remains strong. Relatives travel from across Texas at least once a year to reunite on the farm, where the Ross brothers continue the tradition of barbecuing in a pit their father built in the 1960s. Their gatherings reinforce a shared commitment to keeping the land in the family.
The youngest member of the family Houston is carried around during the family reunion on the Ross property in College Station, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. “I fight this, I fight for [the children],” Michael A Ross said.
The legacy of discriminatory policies still casts a shadow over Black landowners. Today, Black farmers make up just 2 percent of all U.S. farmers, highlighting the lingering effects of systemic inequality. In holding fast to their land, the Ross family is part of a larger movement of Black families determined to reclaim and protect what is rightfully theirs.
Left to right, Michael A Ross, Rochelle B Ross, Shelton L. Ross, Jemie DeRelle Williams, Romona Ross-Bacon and Barbara Ross-Cornelius stand for a portrait in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Photos by Ishika Samant for the Texas Tribune