From The Guardian, “The number of Black farmers in America peaked in 1920, when there were 949,889. Today, of the country’s 3.4 million total farmers, only 1.3%, or 45,508, are black, according to new figures from the US Department of Agriculture released this month. They own a mere 0.52% of America’s farmland. By comparison, 95% of US farmers are white.”
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, Black and Brown hands have tended to this land for centuries by force and then by choice. From the days when enslaved Black folks were forced to grow crops that sustained industrial revolutions to finding ways to own land and take care of their own families through pure economic self-determination, Black farmers are an important part of the fabric of farming in this country.
For this Special Session, we have the privilege to hear from and learn from a 4th generation descendant of Black farmers. Shanique Liz Yates, a journalist, comes with a wealth of familial historical knowledge about how Black farmers have been pushed off land and fought to keep what was rightfully theirs. Below you will find links to works by or connected to Shanique Yates and her family and some additional reading to give context to the larger conversation around Black Farmers.
Shanique Liz Yates
Biography:
Shanique Liz Yates is a millennial on a mission to tell stories that inform, inspire and uplift through her passion for storytelling. During the day she is the social and digital media manager for the Black lifestyle network founded by Magic Johnson, aspireTV, and in her free time you can find her words in AfroTech, BAUCE magazine, Medium, or wherever she sees fit. She is an ATLien by way of Virginia where she attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received a B.S. in Mass Communications with a focus on Broadcast Journalism. A true country girl, Shanique grew up in rural Dinwiddie County where farming was not just seen as a way of life, but a means of survival. She lives by the word “Abracadabra” , an Aramaic word that means “What I Speak Is What I Create.”
Works by or connected to Shanique Yates:
Additional resources:
https://www.rafiusa.org/blog/tbt-when-black-farmers-prevailed-remembering-the-historic-pigford-case/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/why-have-americas-black-farmers-disappeared
Register here!
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkcO-hpzwrH9PF2-u9LUnoEs2411DLUHkj
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