When William Barber III looks across the vast farmscape of Piney Woods in the eastern floodplains of North Carolina, he sees more than fields and trees—he sees the deep roots of his ancestry, where free people of color thrived alongside members of the Croatan and Tuscarora Native Tribes.

Known locally as Free Union, the Piney Woods community existed as a multiracial, economically independent, and free community long before the Civil War. It is an area that not only avoided the legacy of slavery, but was rooted in land ownership and entrepreneurship.

Today, that legacy is being carried forward by a coalition of Black entrepreneurs and visionaries rooted in North Carolina, united by a commitment to resilience, justice, and enterprise. Guided by the vision of William J. Barber III and the Rural Beacon Initiative, the hub brings together Brandt Smith of SGS Contracting and Edwin Harris of EVOKE Studio—three leaders whose collaboration across construction, architecture, and social enterprise demonstrates what is possible when vision and talent converge in service of community. And just as importantly, it serves as a broad invitation to future leaders from all walks of life to join in building a new model of rural resilience and shared prosperity. 

“As a native North Carolinian and a Black man, revitalizing the Free Union Community in Jamesville, NC is a deeply meaningful act of honoring the legacy of resilience and community built by our ancestors,” said Brandt Smith, President of SGS Contracting and Lead Contractor for the Sustainability Hub. “This sacred space represents a rare and powerful testament to Black autonomy, land ownership, and spiritual life during Reconstruction and beyond. Working to preserve and uplift it is not only about historical justice—it’s about reclaiming our stories and ensuring future generations know the strength and dignity of those who came before us. We could not be more honored to be part of this project.”

To the trio, this project represents what could have been for multiracial American communities at large had they been permitted to thrive. The community’s rich history helps them see what’s possible for the future.

Soon, Piney Woods will be home to RBI’s Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm. It’s an innovative and sustainable model created by the Rural Beacon Initiative (RBI) to support rural economic development, improve BIPOC land ownership, build regenerative agriculture and clean energy supply chains.

Barber, founding CEO of the Durham-based social enterprise RBI, sees the Sustainability Hub at Free Union Farm as a path forward that honors the history and legacy of his ancestors as well as the land they worked to protect.

With this project, he’s focused on fundamentally reimagining access to and participation in renewable energy systems and regenerative agriculture for rural farmers and landowners. He incorporates the understanding that community-owned and holistic solutions are the best way to address the combined challenges of climate change, historical discrimination, and economic disparity many rural communities face today. More specifically, Barber believes RBI’s Sustainability Hub model can be an example of how to address some of the biggest concerns for rural people in the Southeast: food insecurity, the billions of dollars lost due to extreme weather disasters, rising energy costs, and limited access to farmland.

“What we’re building defies the silos that have too often limited our imagination,” Barber said. “It is not simply a farm project, a clean energy project, or a rural economic development project. It is a living model, a quilt of interconnected solutions that shows how communities can thrive in the face of climate and economic upheaval. We stand at a crossroads, a moment of great change, where our systems and thinking have to evolve or they will be pushed past the breaking point.”

RBI calls the Sustainability Hub a place where innovation meets regeneration—a first-of-its-kind living laboratory that blends nature-based solutions with cutting-edge technology to confront the climate crisis. The property’s 100-year-old farmhouse, set to be renovated for the modern day, will serve as both a headquarters and cultural center, anchoring a landscape of 52 acres that includes working pastures, ponds, renewable generation and battery storage, a preserved pecan grove, and research and observation posts. Designed as both an economic anchor and a training ground, the hub will have the capacity to train local farmers and community residents in new energy technologies and regenerative land management practices.

“As an architect rooted in North Carolina, contributing to this work is about more than designing a building—it is about shaping a living monument to resilience, innovation, and justice,” said Edwin Harris, Founder of EVOKE Studio and Lead Architect for the Hub. “Architecture is never neutral. At Free Union, our task is to design in a way that does not just house activity but amplifies legacy and asserts presence. Every line, material, and space is a statement—reflecting the dignity of those who came before and declaring the right of future generations to thrive here. This hub is more than a building; it is a physical declaration that land, culture, and community belong together, enduring and sovereign 

“This will be a training ground for the surrounding community. To see a community taking their future in their own hands…we hope it is a testament of the enduring legacy of the ancestral leadership,” Barber said. He hopes the Hub will stand as a replicable model—one that communities across the South can adapt to reclaim their own land, resources, and future.

A Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) provided funding that contributed to purchasing the land. Then additional funding came through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The team seeks to leverage private capital and PRI investments in the future.

“As a founder—and particularly a young, Black founder from the South—I know how difficult it is to access capital, even for work that clearly delivers value,” Barber said. “Yet despite those barriers, we are showing that it is possible to mobilize real dollars for transformative projects. This initiative is more than a single success: it is a case study in how to structure financial strategies which demonstrate that rural communities are not only investable but capable of generating strong returns alongside deep social impact. This is a test.”

“At its heart, this project is about resilience in food and energy—the two most essential systems for any community,” said Barber.

“In a time of climate disruption and public sector retreat, rural communities like Free Union cannot wait for solutions to trickle down. We must build them ourselves, rooted in history but designed for the future. What we are creating here is not just a hub—it is a blueprint for how communities can reclaim sovereignty, withstand crisis, and thrive on their own terms. That urgency is why we are here, and why this work matters now.”

In Free Union—a community that once embodied what America could have been—the seeds of a more resilient and sovereign future are being planted again.