Leah Penniman – Farming While Black: Uprooting Racism and Seeding Sovereignty

Summary

This powerful transcript highlights the legacy of racial and land-based injustices in the U.S. food system. Leah Penniman, a Black Crayol farmer and food justice activist, discusses the history of Black land ownership, the exploitation of farm labor, and the environmental degradation caused by industrial agriculture. She underscores the systemic challenges faced by communities of color, particularly in relation to food apartheid. Penniman also shares how Soul Fire Farm, which she co-founded, works toward racial and environmental justice by reclaiming ancestral farming practices and empowering the next generation of Black and Brown farmers.

Takeaways

• 😀 The history of Black land ownership in the U.S. has dramatically declined, from 14% in 1920 to less than 2% today, resulting in a loss of over 14 million acres due to systemic racism and dispossession.
• 😀 While farm management is predominantly white, farm labor in the U.S. is mostly carried out by Black and brown people, who are often exploited.
• 😀 Leah Penniman is a leading figure in the fight for food and land justice, co-founding Soul Fire Farm to address these issues by reconnecting Black and brown communities to land through Afro-Indigenous farming practices.
• 😀 Black farmers have faced ongoing racial discrimination, including the broken promise of 40 acres and a mule, forced evictions, and discriminatory lending practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• 😀 The exploitation of Black agricultural labor dates back to slavery and continued through systems like sharecropping and convict leasing, which still impact farm workers today.
• 😀 Soul Fire Farm's mission is to reclaim ancestral ties to land, combat food apartheid, and create a just food system through sustainable farming, community engagement, and mentorship for new generations of Black farmers.
• 😀 The history of exploitation is linked to a larger issue of land privatization, genocide against Indigenous people, and the destruction of ecosystems, which has fueled ongoing racial and environmental injustices.
• 😀 Soul Fire Farm is actively restoring 80 acres of land through regenerative practices and giving away fresh produce to those impacted by systemic violence, particularly in marginalized communities.
• 😀 Penniman’s work is part of a larger movement involving numerous organizations dedicated to racial justice in the food system, such as the National Black Food and Justice Alliance and the Black Church Food Security Network.
• 😀 The farm is also promoting reparations, land rematriation to Indigenous peoples, and policy reforms to address farm worker rights, land access, and environmental sustainability.
• 😀 Penniman calls for collective action to re-enter kinship with the land, using ancient wisdom and cooperative practices to create a racially just and environmentally sustainable food system.

Q & A

What is the historical significance of black farmers in the United States?

Historically, black farmers once controlled 14% of all land in the U.S. in 1920, but today, less than 2% of farms are owned by black people, resulting in a loss of over 14 million acres of land. This decline is largely due to systemic discrimination, dispossession, and exclusion from land ownership, including violence and government policies that targeted black landowners.

What is food apartheid, and how does it differ from the term 'food deserts'?

Food apartheid refers to the systemic, racialized barriers that prevent access to healthy, affordable food in communities of color. This term emphasizes the structural inequalities that contribute to food insecurity, unlike 'food deserts,' which primarily focus on geographic access issues without addressing the broader socio-economic and racial context.

What role does Leah Penniman play in addressing food and land justice?

Leah Penniman is the co-founder and co-executive director of Soul Fire Farm, a project focused on food and land justice. She works to reclaim ancestral land rights for marginalized communities and advocates for a racially just and environmentally sustainable food system. Leah also promotes Afro-Indigenous farming practices and empowers the next generation of black and brown farmers.

How does Soul Fire Farm contribute to healing land and promoting food justice?

Soul Fire Farm regenerates 80 acres of land using Afro-Indigenous farming and forestry practices, restoring the soil and increasing native biodiversity. The farm also shares its harvest with communities impacted by state violence, while offering training and mentorship for black and brown farmers to foster self-sufficiency and food sovereignty.

What was the significance of the '40 acres and a mule' promise for black farmers?

The '40 acres and a mule' promise was a post-Civil War policy meant to provide land to freed black families. However, the promise was largely unfulfilled, and despite some black farmers purchasing land, most of it was later lost due to violence, discriminatory government policies, and systemic racism, leaving the black farming community severely dispossessed.

What were some of the forms of exploitation faced by black agricultural laborers after slavery?

After slavery, black agricultural workers faced exploitative systems like convict leasing and sharecropping. Laws known as 'black codes' criminalized unemployment and loitering, resulting in black individuals being incarcerated and forced into labor on plantations. Many were trapped in cycles of debt and poverty without any labor rights protections.

How did historical figures like Dr. George Washington Carver contribute to sustainable agriculture?

Dr. George Washington Carver, a pioneer of regenerative and organic agriculture, promoted soil conservation and biodiversity. He was instrumental in teaching farmers about sustainable farming practices through the Tuskegee Institute and helped popularize crop diversification, particularly in the South, where monoculture crops had depleted the soil.

How does Leah Penniman's work connect to the broader legacy of black agricultural activists?

Leah Penniman’s work is deeply connected to the legacy of black agricultural activists such as Fannie Lou Hamer, who created the Freedom Farm, and the Black Panther Party, which fed thousands of children. Penniman continues this legacy by organizing for land justice, reclaiming land for black and indigenous people, and advocating for food sovereignty and anti-racist farming practices.

What are the key elements of the reparations map initiated by Soul Fire Farm?

The reparations map created by Soul Fire Farm is aimed at returning stolen wealth to Earth stewards, including black and indigenous communities. It is part of a broader effort to address the historical dispossession of land through reparations, land trust programs, and initiatives designed to restore dignity and power to those who have been harmed by systemic oppression.

What role does the concept of 'kinship' with nature play in the fight for food and land justice?

The concept of 'kinship' with nature emphasizes the need to form a respectful and reciprocal relationship with the earth, rather than attempting to dominate or exploit it. This principle is central to the work of Soul Fire Farm and other food justice movements, advocating for a deep, spiritual connection with the land, plants, and animals as part of a broader effort to heal from centuries of oppression and environmental destruction.