Farming is Vital to Black Health
More Black people belong in gardens and natural spaces. It may seem controversial to some, but in truth, cultivating gardens and farming are our birthright. We were brought to these shores because of our knowledge of the land.
Enslaved Blacks were brought to the “New world” because of our land knowledge and the ability to turn the barren to bountiful, and make magnificent meals out of any crop ingredients put before us.
In the early 1920s, almost 1 million Black farmers owned 14% of American farmland. But that story is vastly different today because of intentional deliberate policies that have resulted in decreased land access.
We’re actively and intentionally being kept out of farming.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Black farmers lost 90% of their land over the years, and today fewer than 50,000 African American farmers, out of a total 3.4 million farmers, remain in business.
The same, exact land that enslaved people from Africa were forced to work without any benefit to themselves or many generations to follow, continues to benefit the descendants of wealthy white enslavers. And the wealth builds year over year, but not for most Black people in the United States.
It’s an utter travesty that land access is often out of reach for most Black families, the consequence of decades of systemic racism and discriminatory practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, banks, and others.
We can change that through intentionally investing, wealth building, and practicing giving land back.
Black people have earned repair in the form of land, policy changes, monetary compensation, and a real apology.
We’ve earned the right to:
Grow food, cook, and eat together
Feed our communities healthy foods that nourish our bodies
Celebrate our food culture and culinary gifts
Stimulate our local economies
Have better over wellbeing and health outcomes
We also deserve to experience joy and connect with nature in peace. We’re owed that, and so much more.
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