Good Food
‘We Are Each Other’s Harvest’: African American farmers, land, and legacy
In her new book “ We Are Each Other’s Harvest ,” author Natalie Baszile brings together the narratives and histories of Black farmers in America.
By Evan Kleiman • • 56m ListenIn her new book “We Are Each Other’s Harvest,” author Natalie Baszile brings together the narratives and histories of Black farmers in America. She co-hosts this edition of Good Food with Evan Kleiman, as they speak to those who are tied to the land and profiled in the book. “Farmers are living ancestors for Black people,” explains Baszile, whose personal history includes a connection to farming.
Clyde W. Ford provides a historical account of how the American government has failed Black farmers. Willie Earl Nelson and his son Adrain explain the discriminatory tactics deployed to deny Black farmers of capital to purchase land. O’Neal Bluefort remembers early days on his family’s tobacco farm and his grandfather’s final gift with wishes to continue his legacy. Baszile recounts a visit from her grandmother and her recipe for dirty rice. Finally, Naima Penniman reads her poem for future generations.
In this episode
6 storiesAmplifying Black farmers’ voices in a new book of essays, narratives, and poems
In the years following enslavement, there were nearly one million Black farmers in America. Today, there are approximately 45,000. The legacy of the African American farmer has been at risk for decades.
Read the story7 minExplaining the broken promises of ‘freedom dues’
To understand the current climate of race relations in America is to understand a period of history between 1619, when the first Africans arrived in Virginia, and 1640.
Read the story10 minHow Black farmers experience economic discrimination at the hands of the USDA
Generations of Black farmers have fallen victim to discriminatory practices employed against them by the US Department of Agriculture and the Farm Service Administration.
Read the story13 minCuring tobacco: one man’s accidental innovation becomes another’s livelihood
Just a few decades ago, tobacco provided a secure income for Southern farmers. But when the tobacco buyout came, many Black farmers were cut out of the deal.
Read the story13 minA grandmother’s life in Louisiana: ‘We were poor but we were never hungry’
Natalie Baszile recounts a visit with Miss Rose, the affectionate moniker of her grandmother, and the elder’s two-day train ride from Louisiana to Los Angeles.
Read the story5 min‘A Love Letter to Future Generations’
Natalie Baszile established the Black Harvest Fund at the San Francisco Foundation which distributes grants to certified non-profits that advance the work of Black farmers and farmers of color.
Read the story8 min
