A whites-only community in Arkansas is being sued by a Caucasian woman who claims her membership application was rejected because she has a black husband.
Michelle Walker, 49, claims in a lawsuit that she was discriminated against when her request to join Return to the Land (RTTL)’s 160-acre site near the rural town of Ravenden was refused in November last year.
RTTL, which was launched in 2023, is described on its website as a private association ‘for individuals and families with traditional views and common continental ancestry.’
Walker, a real estate worker who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, said she was not drawn to RTTL for its principles but was simply captivated by its ‘exceptionally low’ sale price.
RTTL is selling an acre of land for $1,000, significantly lower than the average price of land in the Ozarks which is around $4,000 per acre.
Walker, who ‘self–identifies as white,’ believed she would be eligible to join the community based on its requirements and disclosed that she has Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas viewed by the Daily Mail.
Her husband is black and they have three biracial children, per the legal filing.
She was given an interview by the community in which her background was explored, and about a month later her application was denied, the lawsuit states.
On Wednesday, she sued RTTL for ‘refusing to sell her land on the basis of race and religion,’ marking the first civil case against the group.
She cited the Fair Housing Act and civil rights laws stretching back to 1866 in support of her argument.
Walker said in her filing that her application saw her complete the group’s application form in which she answered questions about her ancestry and religion.
Walker said her father’s side of the family came to the US in the 1600s and that her mother’s side of the family was made up of Russian Jewish immigrants, per the complaint.
The filing added that Walker’s husband was specifically of Irish and African descent.
When asked about her religion, Walker allegedly replied: ‘I am a Christian. I believe Jesus died for my sins and through believing in him, I will have a heavenly eternal life.’
Walker also faced questions about whether she supported ‘segregation,’ ‘multiculturalism,’ ‘gay marriage’ and ‘transgenderism,’ the filing added.
Per the lawsuit, Walker was ‘surprised’ to see those sorts of questions on the housing application.
Hellbound and Down 