19. FARMING WHILE BLACK Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.

UNSPECIFIED, ed. (2018) 19. FARMING WHILE BLACK Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central..

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Abstract

Penniman, Leah. Farming While Black : Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/polije-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5568837. Created from polije-ebooks on 2020-01-26 17:08:36. I met Leah Penniman back in the summer of 2010 while attending the NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Summer Conference. It was a typical food and agriculture conference, with many attendees, mostly white, talking about farming and sustainable agriculture. I often wondered how one could talk about sustainable agriculture without mentioning the contributions of people of color (POC). Throughout the years these conferences had all been white-led, with no reference to the contributions made by Black people; at every one I attended, I could count on one hand how many people looked like me. During that same year I was in the midst of planning an all-Black conference with friends and colleagues, known as the Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference, to be held in New York City. Calling ourselves BUGS (Black Urban Growers), our conference would address the great contributions of the Black farmer. It was to celebrate our history, knowledge, and leadership in Black agriculture. We were to have Black leaders, farmers, educators, and activists addressing our issues and concerns, while also offering resources, networking, and opportunities. So this time I came prepared to do outreach at NOFA, seeking out as many Black folks as possible to tell them about the conference. That afternoon, however, while walking to a session, a woman of color handed me a piece of paper with a classroom number. I looked in her eyes, and then we gave each other that familiar nod that only Black people can give and proceeded to the room. That woman was Leah Penniman. She had set out and commandeered one of the classrooms to provide a space solely for POC. This was the first time at a conference that there was a space just for us. We sat with pride as we went around the circle introducing ourselves, talking about our frustrations with not being represented at food and farming conferences. I sat in awe as this young Black woman engaged us in a conversation around race and power. Right then and there I knew she was special. For the past eight years I have watched Leah grow into a powerful leader, starting her own farm, holding antiracism workshops, and developing a justice and leadership program for youth, all while holding down a teacher’s job. We continue to work together, breaking down walls of oppression while seeking out opportunities and justice for our people. We have been told time and time again that we stand on the shoulders of greatness. I am deeply honored that I have been asked to write the foreword for this powerful book. For centuries our ancestors have cried from beyond the voyage of time for us to hear the truth so that their deaths were not in vain. In Farming While Black, Leah Penniman has heard them. Given the centuries of falsehoods, misconceptions, and stolen information, Leah has Penniman, Leah. Farming While Black : Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/polije-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5568837. Created from polije-ebooks on 2020-01-26 17:10:30. Copyright © 2018. Chelsea Green Publishing. All rights reserved. heard their cries for salvation! Out from the shadows of darkness we are taken on an emancipated journey of truth, power, reclamation, and fortitude with a resounding Amen. With humility and respect, she pays homage to our ancestors as she articulates our agricultural history. Confronting everything from the destruction of the continent’s original populace to the tyranny of colonialism, this masterpiece of Afro-indigenous sovereignty sheds light on the richness of Black culture permeating throughout agriculture. Throughout the book we are reminded that we were the pioneers (Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington), the inventors (George Washington Carver, Booker T. Whatley), the trailblazers (Fannie Lou Hamer, The Black Panther Party), and visionaries—intertwining and interconnecting our spirituality and farming. Farming While Black teaches us the fundamental acts of growing food and growing community. While entertaining us with family adventures, Leah shares stories, cultures, chants, recipes, curricula, and much more from her life’s work as a farmer and co-founder and co- director of Soul Fire Farm. We are reminded that as Black farmers we cannot do this work without consulting the wisdom of our sacred literature (Odu Ifa) and receiving spiritual permission from the deities of the Earth and universe (Orisa) to plant our seeds, to grow our food, to share our harvest, and to give back to the Earth. We are also reminded of both past and present forms of trauma and oppressive behavior, from colonialism, to the present day slavery of mass incarceration, and yet, globally as a people, still we rise! In the struggle for civil rights and human rights, Black farmers have always been there. We have endured the test of time in our resilience and resolve. Our power is in the soil, the land, the Earth. Our skin hues are a testament to our belonging. Farming While Black encourages us to reach for greatest and settle for nothing less. Know your history. Share and tell our stories. Pay respect and honor our elders. Pass on the gift of knowledge and fortitude to our youth. Find strength in family and community, but above all love one another, love the Earth, and be true to one’s self. As we move toward alternative ways of farming, living, and being, away from our oppressors, we cannot fall victim to replicating their behavior. Leah has paved the way by addressing our fears, wants, and desires. Thank you Leah for giving us this gift. Farming While Black is the book we will turn to when we need to be grounded, reminded of our heritage, our greatest, our resources, our networks, and the reason why as Black people we farm!

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