Farm Reparations: “We’re coming to get our check”
Given Dr. Martin Luther King’s January 15th birthday, the month of January is often spent diluting the message of revolution and preparing folks for a generic, whitewashed Black History Month.
We’re not here for any of that.
In the 1920’s, Black farmers owned enough land to make up about one-seventh of the farm owners in the United States of America which has been reduced to less than 2% today. Due to various forms of land theft, intimidation, and other racist policies and practices, we have seen not only a decline in land ownership but also a decline in the Black family’s ability to monetize the land that we own.
Dr. Martin Luther King was not just a believer in peace, he was also a fighter for justice. He spent much of his life reminding this country of what was stolen from Black people and what America owes to those she stole from. Many political figures today are using reparations, DEI, affirmative action, and the like as tokens to exchange for votes, but we know that these are not simply buzzwords for Black folks.
As we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and look toward this presidential election year, we have to remember that the heroes glorified by the media today suffered abuse and demonization from every direction to stand on their truth. We don’t take that lightly and we have a bold vision for righting wrongs when it comes to food systems in the DC area.
Here’s how you can support our fight for equity this year:
Share this link with your networks to increase CSA Subscriptions
Make a donation to Dreaming Out Loud so that we can reach more farmers and expand our Food Access programs
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our events and programs with your friends and family
Justice is something that you ask for, that you fight for, but equity is something that is built in order to ensure that we can stop asking. Whether it is accessing markets for Black farmers or accessing healthy food for Black families, equity is where we have to start the conversation of reparations.
