The sun shines bright in Kentucky
I recently had the privilege of participating in the Black Soil KY State of the Soil conference in Kentucky - home of horses, bourbon, this very random castle with an intriguing backstory (a special shout out to Polk at the Origin Hotel for insisting we visit and fill our camera rolls on the way to the airport) and of course, my lovely mom. The event, sponsored by the Freedmen Heirs Foundation, centered Black producers and voices from Kentucky and beyond, fostering connection, conversation and community. We were inspired by Dr. Cindy Ayers-Elliot, a wall-street exec turned steward of a 68-acre farm and agriculture enterprise in Jackson, Mississippi and Amber Smith, Founder and CEO of Farms by Amber, both powerful and incisive communicators with unique backgrounds. These women provided insights into their journeys and the herculean efforts that they have employed to turn fistfuls of discriminatory and misguided “nays” into reluctant “yesses.”
Why are investments in equity necessary along the supply chain?
A brief primer, compliments of Farming While Black by Leah Penniman:
“While it was and continues to be essential for us as farmers to maintain a commitment to food access, that work alone is inadequate to address the systemic issues that led to food apartheid in the first place. Racism is built into the DNA of the US food system. Beginning with the genocidal land theft from Indigenous people, continuing with the kidnapping of our ancestors from the shores of West Africa for forced agricultural labor, morphing into convict leasing, expanding to the migrant guestworker program and maturing into its current state where farm management is among the whitest professions, farm labor is predominantly Brown and exploited, and people of color disproportionately live in food apartheid neighborhoods and suffer from diet-related illness, this system is built on stolen land and stolen labor, and needs a redesign.”
In our industrialized world, we must actively and mindfully choose to humanize and value the individuals that work tirelessly to keep our flawed food system running, while equally fighting for the creation and advancement of a new system that adequately compensates workers and protects the environment. To humanize actors along the supply chain is to value and respect their work and their livelihoods. For consumers, this could mean using your resources (time, money) more intentionally, and if you are white – educating or re-educating yourself on the history of agriculture in our country and the legacy of discrimination.
While philanthropy has its own complex history (to say the absolute least), I firmly believe in its power to transfer resources to the communities that have long been denied it to build generational wealth for every actor along the supply chain – from producer to consumer. While the food system rarely sees the types of investments required to tip the scales towards an equitable supply chain, I believe in the power of philanthropy to unlock capital in a dynamic way to leverage government and private sector funding.
Whether you are a donor, a foundation, an individual, or just an admirer of American castles, take a moment to follow, uplift, and donate to these organizations driving equity in the food and agriculture system:
Potlikker Capital: A farm community governed charitable integrated capital fund created to holistically serve BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) farmers in America who operate at the intersection of racial and climate justice.
Foodshed Capital: A non-profit loan fund and business accelerator that helps regenerative farmers and food entrepreneurs build thriving, enduring businesses.
Black Fiber and Textile Network: Supports the livelihoods and lifeways of Black people across the globe who use, produce and work with: regenerative fibers, plant dyes, and sustainable or artisanal textiles. They mobilize people to produce and process in reverence of each other and the earth.
Dreaming Out Loud: Created to drive economic opportunities for the DC metro region’s marginalized communities through building a healthy, equitable food system.
Freedman Heirs Foundation: A non-profit organization dedicated to the promise of successful Black farms.
Soul Fire Farms: An Afro-Indigenous-centered community farm and training center dedicated to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.
Black Soil KY: An organization on a mission to reconnect Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture.
