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“Our great great grandmothers in Dahomey, West Africa, witnessed the kidnapping and disappearance of members of their community and experienced a rising unease about their own safety. As insurance for an uncertain future, they began the practice of braiding rice, okra, and millet seeds into their hair. While there were no “report backs” from the otherside of the transAtlantic slave trade and rumors abounded that white people were capturing Africans to eat us, they still had the audacity of hope to imagine a future on soil. Once sequestered in the bowels of the slave ships, they continued the practice of seed smuggling, picking up grains from the threshing floor and hiding the precious kernels in their braids…” ~ From Farming While Black by Leah Penniman Yes, that is a quote from Leah’s book, Farming While Black, which is now available for pre-order! So much love went into the making of this highly anticipated book that centers the legacy of black leadership in sustainable agriculture and food justice movements and provides tools for aspiring African-heritage growers to start agricultural projects and heal from the trauma associated with slavery and land-based economic exploitation. Uplifting the legacy of African diasporic knowledge and farming technologies while acknowledging the fact that our food system is built on stolen land and stolen labor is necessary for developing ways to reform this system and reframe narratives around it. We are so excited for its release! Announcements:
The start of spring is normally marked by the vernal equinox, but here in Grafton winter snow continued through much of April. We experienced a terrifying storm that produced hurricane force winds of up to 74 miles per hour that knocked down several 60-foot tall grandmother white pines onto one of our buildings, but Jonah used his incredible problem-solving skills to drop these pine trees safely without any further building damage. After weeks of cold, muddy days we and our greenhouse seedlings, who have been waiting patiently to be planted outside, were more than ready for a change. While transplanting beets into our high tunnel Damaris sang for the sun to shine and grace us with warmth and our prayers were answered.
Along with spring warmth and sunshine came Ceci, one of our summer apprentices, and our first batch of baby chicks! Ceci worked with us on the land for a week and was a tremendous help. These last few weeks have been very busy – we put up trellises for our peas, prepped beds, transplanted and direct seeded many crops, and played with Chaga in the sun. Jonah also oversaw the construction of our second high tunnel and has been spearheading many other exciting infrastructure projects around the farm.
Mulch insulates beds to protect the soil and the life in it from drastic temperature shifts, provides a stable environment, prevents weed growth, and helps the soil retain water, as we’ve learned from farm manager Larisa. We’ve been diligent about using mulch because of the benefits it confers to our soil and crops, and many of our farm visitors have helped us spread a lot of it. During our first community workday fifty volunteers came out and helped us spread mulch and compost, as well as fix our deer fence, turn those wind-fallen pine trees into wood chips, and clean out the home our laying hens live in, among many other tasks. High school students from the Albany Science and Technology Entry Program also came and discussed what their own “mulch” could be when they start college while spreading it. And students from the Schenectady High School Roots Club dispelled myths around black people and health – particularly the idea that health problems in black communities arise from genetics, when they are really the consequence of living in food apartheid.
As Amani beautiful described, “growing season” is not just about the magical plants and golden rich soil that hug our planet and sustain our lives – growth is also about our communities, our shared struggle for freedom on land, our movement to determine our futures for ourselves. On April 29th we hosted our first Lawn to Garden workday, a skillshare for an for folks to learn and work together while transforming a lawn into a space to grow food. We built three raised beds from durable rough sawn hemlock and filled them with a compost/topsoil mix. We are excited to host more “Soul Fire in the City” events like this.
An aspect of growing community is practicing solidarity with others. We were honored to have hosted Chief Perry of the Ramapough Lenape nation, with whom we strategized about Black-Native solidarity in land reclamation. He spoke at the Flower Festival at Peace Pagoda about the harassment, intimidation, and false accusations leveled against the Split Rock Sweetwater Prayer Camp by the Town of Mahwah and surrounding Polo Club neighbors because they have been holding space and leading the fight against the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline that will endanger the local water supplies, sacred sites, and essential wetlands. Please support the land and water protectors at Split Rock Sweetwater Prayer Camp by donating to and sharing their defense fund.
Growing community is also about mutual learning, education, and collaboration. On Saturday we also convened at Smith College with other farmers of color and incredibly knowledgeable legal experts to imagine what land reclamation can look like through the formation of a northeast regional land trust for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian farmers. Access to land is critically important for farmers of color, but most land in the United States is under white ownership and is prohibitively expensive. We are inspired by the New Communities Land Trust founded by Charles and Shirley Sherrod in Lee County, Georgia and want to imagine an alternative relationship to the land not based in private ownership but instead one that can offer long-term, multigenerational security for farmers of color. At the forum we learned about different legal structures we could utilize to create a community-based system while also discussing ways to navigate the fact we all inhabit indigenous land. We are so grateful to the experts that shared their knowledge with us, as well as the 70+ volunteers and individuals who made this event possible. We look forward to continuing this work!
We engaged in many other exciting community growing events this month. Leah spoke at the Troy Area United Ministries Spring Assembly’s annual meeting about the role of the “spiritual activist” in dismantling racism in the food system, particularly when there are many examples in sacred texts about the imperative to end hunger, steward earth’s resources, distribute wealth, and treat people from other nations with dignity. Leah also visited the Hudson Valley Farm Hub to work with their Spanish-speaking team of farmers to develop curriculum for our first ever Spanish-language Black and Latinx Farm Immersion program. Amani visited Brighter Choice Charter School, where students guessed how much sugar is in many popular juices and sodas, discussed the realities of living in food apartheid, and imagined what healthy communities can look like. And Amani spoke at SUNY New Paltz and Glynwood about how sustainable farming can be a powerful tool for addressing systemic oppression and inequality in our food system.
Finally, once again we urge you to donate to and share the Split Rock Sweetwater Prayer Camp defense fund. It’s important that we translate our feelings of solidarity into tangible support. Additionally, support our queer and trans Black and Indigenous People of Color farmers, foodies, and earth workers by donating to Interlocking Roots to help make it possible for folks to attend their network gathering at the Allied Media Conference. We are also excited to announce that yet another project received funding through the Reparations Map for Black-Indigenous Farmers! We recognize that the food system was built on the stolen land and stolen labor of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and other people of color. We also know that we cannot wait for the government to acknowledge that stolen wealth and land must be returned. If you have resources you want to share contact a farmer directly to share them, or if you have a project you want to include on the map contact us! This month’s Love Notes was written by Lytisha Wyatt. |
Farmers Lytisha and Damaris working on a typical April 2018 morning
Farm apprentice Ceci and Chaga; our first week old chicks; and our new high tunnel
Students from Schenectady High School, with Farmer Damaris and Amani
Our first Lawn to Garden “Soul Fire in the City” event
Jonah, Emet, Leah, Chief Perry, and Amani
Land Trust Forum poster
Leah at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub
Healthy communities imagined by students at Bright Choice Charter School