Since summer’s start, when CAFF joined millions in taking a stand for Black lives, the movement for racial justice has grown. But during that same time, violence against people of color has, too. From police shootings like that of Jacob Blake to deadly vigilantism shrugged off by those in power, the impacts and the debate have found their way into homes and communities across America. Including our farms.
We know it may be hard for some to see the connection between agriculture and state-authorized violence against Black people. In fact, there are some who believe these issues aren’t important to farmers or that Black Lives Matter is an exclusively urban phenomenon.
But as a community-oriented organization serving community-oriented farmers, we know that isn’t true. Because we’ve heard from you. And from hundreds of other farmers across California. It’s time to challenge the misconception that farmers don’t care, don’t see the legacy of racial injustice within agriculture or aren’t willing to take a stand.
That’s why we’re inviting you, farmers and ranchers, to join your peers in making your voice heard. Simply take a photo of yourself on your farm (let’s see that barn, those crops, those chickens) holding a sign that reads:
Blacks Lives Matter
Farmers for Racial Justice
Either post it on social media with #farmersforracialjustice and/or send us the photo at contact@caff.org
We’ll add these to the collection below. And together we can reshape the narrative, begin tough but worthwhile conversations, and prove that when it comes to violence, injustice and fear, farmers will not sit idly by.
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TO DIG DEEPER INTO THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN AGRICULTURE AND RACIAL INJUSTICE, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE THESE GREAT RESOURCES:
- Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the U.S. Food System (Michigan State University)
- A History of Black Farming in America (USDA)
- The Decline of Black Farming in America (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights)
- 7 Contributions by African Americans to U.S. Agriculture (The Poughkeepsie Project)
