The Sandhills Family Heritage Association was in the making for over 25 years before its incorporation in 2001 with financial and technical support from The Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities Program. The story of SFHA is both a journey – of individuals and the larger Sandhills community -- and a culmination of events and efforts that are bringing African-American community members in the
Sandhills region together to promote self-sufficiency, protect landownership, preserve cultural heritage, and ensure on-going sharing of knowledge and leadership through education. For more than 25 years, SFHA Founder, Ammie Jenkins worked to gather information about the history and heritage of African-Americans in the Sandhills region. It started as a personal quest to find out more about her family’s roots, and their journey from slavery to landownership and self-reliance. Early information-gathering sessions took place after church, in friends’ homes – even on the hood of Ammie’s car! Critical issues and realities emerged in countless interviews with elders: the strength and character of African-Americans, their many contributions to the region, the cultural ties to the land, the entrepreneurship and self-reliance of our forebears. Ammie brought the concept of SFHA to “kitchen table discussions” with Betty McMillan and Marvin Lucas, and with additional input from community members in monthly meetings. SFHA was created to meet the need for a grassroots-led organization that provides comprehensive services to address social, economic, environmental, and cultural issues that negatively impact our rural communities.
