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Meet The 11-Year-Old Black Girl Who Struck Oil

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Sarah Rector owned what was thought to be a worthless piece of land – at least until oil was discovered under it. It was quite a sight for anyone in 1913, let alone an 11-year-old Black girl. Lauren N. Henley is assistant professor of leadership studies in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, and she joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of a girl who went from farm laborer to millionaire overnight, and the troubles she faced as she navigated substantial wealth in the Jim Crow South. Her article “The Richest Black Girl in America” was published by Medium.