Hello Slow Food family,
As we move into February and the observance of Black History month, we'd like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate Black farmers and remind us all of the importance of centering their stories and supporting their work.
Even while struggling to get the debt relief promised in the Covid relief package passed last year, Black farmers across the nation are building local economies and building good soil. They're feeding their communities and feeding the need for culturally relevant foods. And they're raising families while also raising the alarm on the threats facing the ability of their families to stay on the land.
From the Pennimans' of Soul Fire Farm to the Mills siblings in Nacogdoches Texas to Doria Robinson and the staff at Urban Tilth, Black farmers are, as our friend Jim Embry of Slow Food Kentucky reminds us, reimagining "what it means to be dedicated to the soil while planting seeds for joy and justice"
In gratitude,
the Slow Food East Bay team
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Photo courtesy of Edible East Bay.
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Farms to Grow
The Freedom Farmers' Market by Farms to Grow is committed to improving accessibility to traditional legacy foods grown by Black and underserved farms with an emphasis on “self-reliance, cooperative community development, and healthy sustainable environments for all.”
The market is currently open the second Saturday of each month from 9am to 2pm at 4521 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. Mark your calendars for February 12th!
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📅 UPCOMING EVENTS
Mai Nguyen, Pandora Thomas, Tiffani Patton - SOIL: Carving Out Space for BIPOC Farming
Friday, February 18th, 10am
Hear a conversation with farmer Mai Nguyen on land theft, access to land ownership for BIPOC growers and what it means to practice regenerative farming.
Black Vines Tasting at Bay Grape
Saturday, February 12th, 3-7pm
Celebrate the delicious work of Black winemakers at this walk around tasting.
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📝 RESOURCES
🎙 Listen/Look
Farming While Black
Listen Here Pt.1 and Pt. 2
In this two part series on Whetstone Media, black farmers and scholars discuss how resilience, survival and activism lie at the core of historical narratives around African Americans and agriculture.
Justice for Black Farmers: A Conversation to Uproot Racist Policy and Plant Seeds of Redress
View forum here
A discussion of how Black farmers continue to face ongoing discrimination at the hands of racist policies, but the potential for support and empowerment through recent legislation.
Still Here - African American Farmers in the 21st Century
View gallery here
Listen to Losing Ground podcast here
Gene Dominique’s photographs are a visual exploration of a day in the life at five Black-run farms across the US. His work was inspired by the story of farmer Eddie Wise originally aired on the Reveal podcast about the loss of Black owned farmland.
📰 Read
Black Farmers Are Rebuilding Agriculture in Coal Country
Read here
Could the rejuvenation of agriculture in coal country improve economic opportunity in the region? Local Black and underserved farmers and ranchers think so.
Black Entrepreneurs Sow Seeds of Healthier Eating During Pandemic Gardening Boom
Read here
A reminder of the power of community and mutual aid, and how growing ones own food creates self-sufficiency and resilience.
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🐌 CALL TO ACTION
Ujamaa Seeds
Learn and Purchase Seeds here
A project of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance providing access to culturally meaningful seeds, encouraging agrobiodiversity and localized production.
Rhythms of the Land
Learn More and Donate
Support the production of a documentary film highlighting the stories and legacies of Black farmers in the US.
Rhythms of the Land is a valentine to generations of black farmers in the United States from the enslavement period to the present, whose intense love of the land and dedication to community enabled them to survive against overwhelming odds. They struggled from the beginning without support or recognition, and have been written out of the dominant narratives of US agriculture. Their story must be told.
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