Laverne and Robert Williams – Fighting Racism from the Fields

LRE is proud to recognize and celebrate Black History Month and we share that recognition with two of our landowners supporting renewable energy. 

Laverne and Robert Williams own nearly 400 acres of farmland, some of which houses wind turbines at our Sweetwater Wind 4-5 facility in Roscoe, Texas. 

Laverne and Robert’s story is an inspiring one of racial injustice, perseverance, and ultimate validation, overcoming great odds to fight for and keep their land. 

In 1990, the couple purchased land in Roscoe using money borrowed from the lending arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The only black farmers in the county, their initial crops weren’t enough to pay the mortgage, and their requests for additional loans and technical guidance were denied.  

Robert and Laverne are true fighters, unwavering in their determination to seek justice. Through their relentless efforts and perseverance, they were able to expose the injustices they faced. In the end, the Department of Agriculture was forced to acknowledge its discriminatory actions, ultimately allowing the Williamses to retain their farm and secure the future they had fought so hard for. Laverne and Robert went on to not only have wind turbines installed on their land, but also to found the Black Farmers Association, an organization dedicated to representing African American farmers and their families. 

LRE is proud to call Robert and Laverne Williams partners and we honor their part in history in standing up against racial injustice and supporting renewable energy.   

#BlackHistoryMonth 

About LRE

LRE (Leeward Renewable Energy) is a high-growth renewable energy company forging a sustainable future through integrity, innovation, and positive impact. We own and operate 30 large wind, solar, and energy storage projects across the United States, totaling over 3 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity.  

LRE has an ambitious goal of 10GW of operating assets by 2028 and is developing and contracting an increasing pipeline of new projects every year. We take a full-lifecycle approach to our projects, built on a long-term ownership model and a company culture dedicated to our community partners and protecting the environment. LRE is a portfolio company of OMERS Infrastructure, an investment arm of OMERS, one of the largest defined pension plans in Canada, with C$128.6 billion in net assets (as of Dec 31, 2023). For more information, visit www.lreus.com.