Eric Orwoll, co-founder of the whites-only community group Return to the Land (RTTL), says the organization’s mission is to preserve European identity and culture in the face of growing diversity, arguing that racial and cultural separation is both preferable and necessary.
In an interview on TMZ Live on Friday, July 25, Orwoll defended the group’s expansion efforts into Missouri and other states, saying the initiative is based on the desire for cultural preservation rather than exclusion.
Orwoll claimed that white Americans value their European heritage and believe that modern multiculturalism threatens that legacy. “White people value European heritage,” he said. “I think that identity is under threat in modern America.” While acknowledging that others may choose to mix cultures, he argued that doing so comes at the cost of preserving “pure cultural ancestry.”
The group’s model relies on voluntary racial separation, which Orwoll says distinguishes it from historical segregation. “There’s a huge difference between segregation of the past and what Return to the Land wants,” he said. “Past segregation wasn’t voluntary, whereas the type we’re floating would be.”
Despite pushing for a whites-only community, Orwoll maintained that RTTL is not violating federal fair housing laws, asserting the group is attempting to “work around” legal restrictions using exceptions built into existing statutes. He added that while the group encourages applications from white, American-born individuals, anyone is allowed to apply and would be reviewed “on a case-by-case basis.” However, it remains unclear whether non-white applicants would ever be accepted.
Orwoll also expressed interest in developing whites-only community centers and encouraged other racial and ethnic groups, including Black and Jewish communities, to do the same, saying that people shouldn’t be “forced to live with others who don’t share their same cultural background.”
The remarks drew sharp condemnation from public officials. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a statement denouncing RTTL’s ideology, declaring, “Racism has no place in the state.”
Orwoll rejected accusations of racism, stating that the group’s goals are about cultural self-determination, not hate. Yet his comments included references to debunked “race science” and the discredited notion that genetic differences between races cause cognitive disparities, ideas widely dismissed by mainstream scientific and academic communities.
Legal experts and civil rights advocates argue that RTTL’s approach echoes the discredited “separate but equal” doctrine that was struck down in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. The Supreme Court at the time ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” a principle that extends broadly to public and communal spaces.
Despite mounting criticism, RTTL continues to promote its vision, raising broader concerns about race, identity, and housing policy in contemporary America.
