IDKMYDE: Epsy and Vero Beach

Todays episode of IDKMYDE is a sharp, humorous take on how Black families’ land and generational wealth have been systematically stolen, all while America pretends it’s just part of the game. From airfields to baseball teams, it’s history you didn’t learn in school, but you’ll definitely want to remember.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.
Let's talk about land, because apparently if you're black and
your own some everybody suddenly gets real interested in your property.
I didn't know, you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know.
Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know. I

(00:23):
didn't know. Take the Epsy family for example, back in
nineteen forty two, they was living a dream in Vero Beach, Florida.
They had one hundred and forty seven acres of land.
Now I have to do some homework on that. How
much is one acre? Well, for easy math, it's about
three fourths of a football field. So let's just say
one acre equals a football field or sixteen tennis courts,

(00:46):
or one acre is larger than nine basketball courts. They
say you can fit five baseball fields in one acre. Well,
the Epsy family had one hundred and forty seven acres.
Now that's just not land. That's by your kids a
pony and still got space for a ferris wheel land.
But then the US government came knocking and this say,
excuse me, we're gonna need your land to build an airfield.

(01:07):
Don't worry, it's for the war effort, and the Epstey's
was like, all right, but can we get it back
after spoiler alert? They didn't. Instead, their land went to
the Navy, the city of Vero Beach and dig this
the La Dodgers. Yes, they even named it Dodger Town.
And they ain't even blessed the Epsey family with season
tickets or an expensive hot dog at the concession stand

(01:28):
or nothing. And I'm gonna keep it a buck one
hundred and forty seven eight because the land wasn't just dirt.
That's wealth, generational wealth. But instead of that wealth staying
in the Epsy family got passed around like a Netflix password.
Now here's where it gets wow, because people love to
ask why can't them colored families just build wealth like
everybody else? Oh? I don't know. Maybe because every time

(01:49):
we do, someone shows up with a clipboard, a bulldozer
and some bad intentions. This is not just history, it's
a pattern from Tull to the Vero Beach. Anytime we
start thriving and surviving, somebody decides, yeah, that's nice, but
we want that for us. So here's my challenge to
you learn these stories that didn't make it into the textbooks,

(02:09):
talk about them. Share them because the only way to
stop history from repeating itself is to start calling it out.
That's the reason for I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.
The historic Dodger Town in Vero Beach is no more.
They closed the doors and shut down because they were broke.
Haven't had it since March of two thousand and eight.
But Minor League Baseball did reopen the facilities and now

(02:29):
it's named Vero Beach Sports Village. But it ain't owned
by the Epsey family. It's owned by Major League Baseball.
And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. No