When Jennine Labuzan, an African American mom of 7, uncovered records showing that her great-grandfather held an interest in more than 1,300 acres in rural Mississippi, she began researching land patents and filed to protect what she believed was her family’s generational claim.
However, the current landowners argued that her great grandfather sold his interest in the property in the 1840s, and the federal court ruled against her claim.
As part of the litigation, the court ordered her to sign a quitclaim deed, which would relinquish any interest she claimed in the land.
Naturally, she refused to sign despite multiple court orders and so the judge found her in civil contempt and ordered the U.S. Marshals to take her into custody in an effort to compel compliance. She spent about 18 days in federal custody.
“I’ve never had more than a speeding ticket, let alone jail,” she said after spending two weeks in federal custody. “It was very disheartening, but God finally gave me peace, like this is a door you had to walk through.”
She continues her work through the courts and has started a business that helps others locate genealogy records and understand historic land grants. Her goal is to open the same doors of knowledge so more families can protect their own legacies.
