On Chicago’s West Side, a Black woman is turning one of America’s most broken promises into a working model for economic repair. Through Forty Acres Fresh Market, founder Liz Abunaw is bringing fresh food, jobs, and community investment to neighborhoods long denied access to both.
In American history, 40 acres and a mule remains one of the most powerful symbols of a promise both made and broken. After the Civil War, formerly enslaved persons were promised “a plot of not more than forty acres of tillable ground,” which later became known by the phrase “40 acres of land and a mule.” Without property, money, and little to no education, most newly freed people did not have a clear or immediate path toward economic independence and this promise was intended to be a form of reparations. But it was ultimately reversed and people were denied lasting ownership. Today, Elizabeth “Liz” Abunaw is reframing this promise in a practical and transformative way.
"What would it look like if we actually got our 40 acres?“ - Liz Abunaw, CBS News
Founded in 2017, Forty Acres Fresh Market was opened in response to a lack of fresh food options on Chicago's West Side. Located in the Austin neighborhood, this Black woman-owned store operates as a fully functioning grocery store in a community that previously had limited access to fresh produce and healthy food.
The idea became personal to Liz while running an errand, which landed her in an unfamiliar neighborhood in Chicago. Unable to find a bank, drugstore or pharmacy, she experienced what felt like a tale of two cities where one part of Chicago was defined by abundance and the other lacked the basic goods, services and amenities that she was accustomed to.
Though she had been in the grocery industry her entire professional life, the stark inequities sparked something deeper. She was now on a mission to change the reality. Through Forty Acres, Liz is on a mission to increase accessibility to affordable, high quality, fresh food in underserved areas, while revitalizing neighborhood economies.
Today, Forty Acres operates a brick-and-mortar store located at 5713 West Chicago Avenue, housed in an old Salvation Army building. It also functions as a mobile grocer, offering seasonal pop-up markets and year-round daily delivery services, including both ad hoc and subscription services. These various options ensure that fresh, high-quality food reaches everyone.
Despite the narrative about the neighborhood, there are really good things there and they deserve to have high quality goods with great service right where they live. [We are trying to] … create a model that not only survives but thrives and creates community wealth and contributes to a neighborhood’s overall environment.” - Elizabeth “Liz” Abunaw
But beyond operating as a grocery store, Forty Acres is also a social impact community organization. It partners with various non profits to expand healthy foods access across various neighborhoods and also works alongside healthcare organizations to connect patients with nutritious, high-quality foods. Staying true to its community-centered philosophy, Forty Acres partners with local growers and Chicago based wholesalers, sourcing a significant portion of their produce directly from small, local farms.
The original promise of land was about more than property. It symbolized economic stability, production, agency and wealth. Through supply chains, community-centered entrepreneurship, and food systems, Forty Acres is carrying that same spirit forward and providing a blueprint for ownership, access and lasting economic possibility.
