“Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality.” - Malcolm X
SPROUT was founded for the pursuit of food justice with our neighbors, gardeners, and farmers. Our organization was born out of the recognition that until everyone is afforded the right to locally produced, community grown, culturally relevant food, none of us have real food sovereignty. We work for community control of food; therefore, we are an organization with a focus on Black Liberation. Black Lives Matter.
There is no history of food in America without Black people because there is no America without Black people. Forced slave labor built it all. It is estimated that the value of the labor extracted from kidnapped and enslaved Africans between 1619 and 1865, is over 97 quadrillion dollars (for help understanding: the net worth of our whole country in 2015 was 0.001% of 97 quadrillion dollars)*. Throughout our entire history, our food has been subsidized by violence against Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color. Our current capitalist food system requires that abuse continue. As we fight for a stronger community food system, one that is more just, it is essential to note that even a local food system perpetuates this injustice and racism.
The majority of small, sustainable farms in our country do not turn a profit, leading about 64% of farmers to have two jobs. Many of the rest have inherited wealth. Black people make up less than 2% of America’s farmers and own less than a single percent of our nation’s farmland because of decades of concerted action to push them off of their land by white banks and trade organizations. In contrast, the vast majority of farmworkers are People of Color and work tirelessly to feed our country, yet never build equity in the farms they run. These numbers are worse in Louisiana- The work of sustainable farming is not profitable enough without the privilege of extra time, supplemental income, and years of study and apprenticeship. The privilege required to run a farm simply isn’t afforded to Black farmers. With income inequality and a lower likelihood to receive family land or intergenerational wealth, Black farmers have a significantly harder time working the two jobs and balancing the labor a farm business can require.
People often ask us about the state of Black farming in Louisiana: “Why aren’t there more Black farmers at the table?” Our society has stolen their land, killed them, and silenced them in the name of profit and power. In fact, Louisiana has the highest incidence of Black farmers of any state in the country if you consider the enslaved farm labor at Angola Penitentiary. The wealthy and powerful of our nation have worked hard to make sure that Black farmers have the cards stacked heavily against them.
We commit to doing our part in developing new Black farmers in the future, but we must move beyond technical assistance. We commit to cross-sector coalition-building that increases the opportunity for financial support and access to land for Black farmers. It is not enough to purchase from those who have survived against the odds. It is not enough to train the next generation. Under capitalism, the oppression of Black farmers is profitable. We must shift resources and work against the system.
SPROUT sees this work as our collective liberation. As a diverse coalition of gardeners and farmers, we know that our freedom is intertwined. We are not allies; we are comrades.
As we move forward in this work here are a few suggestions about how you can immediately support Black farmers and gardeners:
Work to understand how whiteness and pre-existing wealth is rewarded in agribusiness. Ask yourself why there are so few Black farmers in your community. Acknowledge your privilege as a white farmer. If you have success based on privilege, pull back the curtain for others. This honesty reveals that the system is not based on merit alone and has been designed to not reward everyone the same way. Lend material support. Pay direct reparations. Fairly lease, or give your land to Black farmers.
Buy from Black farmers and gardeners, but please remember- exchanging money for goods and services is not revolutionary. You’re paying a fair price for someone’s labor and products. That’s far, far from enough. Buying Black isn’t charity work.
Donate to Black advancement in agriculture. Black organizations have developed a strong community and done decades of work, as mutual aid and community networks always have. They need your support: BUGS, SAAFON, Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Carry Armando Frank’s memory with you when you march. Armando was killed for farming while Black in Louisiana with nearly no notice from the media or the public.
If you have an organizational affiliation and want to coalition-build and work on direct reparations in Louisiana, please email margee@sproutnola.org to start a conversation. You can find National reparations work through Soul Fire Farm in New York and The National Black Food and Justice Alliance.
This statement was written with staff, stakeholders, community gardeners and the board of SPROUT NOLA.
*This data comes from Jasmine Ratliff’s Keynote speech at 2019’s Louisiana Sustainable Agriculture Working Group.