"We may have historically left the land, but the land never left us. We are all of the dirt." - Blain Snipstal
Farming and land stewardship are deeply rooted in Black history, resilience, and identity. This uplifting, eye-opening documentary focuses on the founders of three Black-owned farms: Leah Penniman, her husband Jonah Vitale-Wolff, and her sister Naima Penniman of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, New York; urban farmer and community activist Karen Washington in The Bronx; and Blain Snipstal, who farms 24 acres in Maryland. What they each have achieved seems a miracle, but they assert that reclaiming the land and working for food justice is a duty for us all, if only because it may be the key to solving the climate change crisis.
The film reveals the injustices Black farmers have experienced as their land has been stripped away in the past century, yet it is full of hope in depicting their determined efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. The number of Black farmers has declined from the peak of almost one million in 1920 who owned 14 million acres to Black farmers of today who make up less that 1.5 % of U. S. farmers and own only 4.7 million acres.
Black farmers must dig in the dirt that is not only under their feet but at city hall, fighting discrimination in lending and in unfair practices at the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Karen Wshington reclaimed trashed vacant lots in blighted areas of The Bronx for urban gardens. When Mayor Giuliani wanted to confiscate 126 of those supposedly abandoned lots for the city, she had to educate herself on political action, rallying community opposition that saved the neighborhood plots.
Cory Booker and Raphael Warnock, members of the U. S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, passed legislation granting Black farmers emergency relief and reparations, but the law is mired in legal actions by those claiming it discriminates against non-Black farmers. It's the "same old same old" as Leah observes. The predictable pushback disheartens her, but does not deter her and her associates' mission as lovers of the land. Soul Fire Farm carries the message through volunteer opportunities and training programs, community outreach, participation in agricultural conferences, and development of Black farm cooperatives. The aim is to foster the next generation of Black farmers to obtain, reclaim, and bloom the land.
FARMING WHILE BLACK is a professional production that fills the gap for perspective and information on a vital topic that gets little public attention. The film is beautifully shot, edited, and recorded, depicting the joyousness of what these remarkable farmers have achieved-cultivating the land not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a sacred, living part of us all. It offers hope in their efforts to build coalitions and collectives of Black farmers in a growing movement. Leah has written two books, and her live hip hop performances on earth justice and food security are captured in the film. Beyond politics, the movie celebrates people whose purpose-driven, passionate, committed lives are well-rounded and fulfilling. What models for us all!
I valued its appreciation of the deep connection Black people have always had to the earth, with roots thousands of years old in Africa that have generated our agricultural traditions and legacy to this day. Leah tells how Africans kidnapped to be taken to unknown lands as slaves wove seeds into their braids to propagate crops from their native soils.
The work these farmers do offers renewal of Blacks' connection with the land, which has been severed due to associating rural areas with forced labor during slavery, and the violence historically perpetrated against Black people in the outdoors. Environmentalist Carolyn Finney, in her book BLACK FACES, WHITE SPACES, points out that Blacks may also feel disassociated from the land due to lack of experience and outdoor skills, fear of natural hazards, images of people enjoying outdoor recreation that do not include Black faces, racist depictions of Black people as animalistic, trepidation regarding harassment and discrimination Blacks may encounter in outdoor recreation and wilderness areas, and socioeconomic factors that may prevent Blacks from having opportunities to participate in outdoor activities.
Black farming is an antidote to alienation, reuniting us all with the land, an affinity that the general population has lost due to the soullessness of agribusiness, Leah avers.
This lively film is as generous and open-hearted as a field of sunflowers. It has remained on my mind for hours after I attended a screening at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Rev. Warnock is the senior pastor. Currently, it is only being shown by a representative from the film company in classrooms, churches and civic clubs to stimulate discussion and reflection. But it will soon be available to borrowers using the Kanopy app in the Fulton Country Libraries.
