The Fortitude and Struggle of Black Farmers in America
Contributed by Adrienne Runnebaum, Development & Special Projects Manager
The history of Black farmers is filled with generational stories of fortitude and struggle. In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting a few of the many agricultural trailblazers and their contributions to food equity and justice.
Thomas Monroe Campbell
Born in 1883 on a small Georgia farm, Thomas Monroe Campbell became a pioneer in agricultural education. He attended Tuskegee Institute (which later became Tuskegee University). The institution’s president, Booker T. Washington, and a science professor petitioned the USDA to appoint Thomas as its first Black extension agent. Once hired, part of his role included managing the “Movable School of Agricultural,” created by George Washington Carver. This program brought modern agricultural demonstrations, methods, techniques, and tools directly to rural Alabama farmers.
“This program brought modern agricultural demonstrations, methods, techniques, and tools directly to rural Alabama farmers.”
Thomas became the district agent for Alabama and the surrounding states, where he led conferences and fairs for farmers. In the 1930s, he started a radio broadcast program that provided extension news and innovative ideas for Black farmers. His prominence and expertise in the agricultural field provided additional opportunities to work with commissions studying rural life in West Africa. Thomas retired from the USDA after 47 years of service. During that time, he onboarded over 800 Black extension agents in the South.
United States Department of Agriculture - National Archives, Maryland
Dr. Booker T. Whatley
Photo Credit Unknown
Horticulturist Dr. Booker T. Whatley paved the way for rural Black farmers to grow their own food utilizing efficient and profitable methods. He was born in 1915 and grew up on a family farm in Alabama with his 12 younger siblings. He received a degree in agricultural studies at Alabama A&M University and a doctorate degree in horticulture from Rutgers University. While serving in the Vietnam war, he utilized his agricultural expertise to create a 55-acre hydroponic farm to provide food to the troops that was safe for consumption. He went on to become an agricultural professor at Tuskegee University.
“Some of his many notable accomplishments include creating the Clientele Membership Club, an early adaptation of what we know today as the CSA (Community Supported Agricultural) Program.”
Some of his many notable accomplishments include creating the Clientele Membership Club, an early adaptation of what we know today as the CSA (Community Supported Agricultural) Program. His goal was to create a system that would help farmers with production planning, predicting demand, and creating a guaranteed market. Dr. Whatley also had a particular interest in regenerative agricultural practices, which included honeybees and small-fruit research. He saw an opportunity for farmers with limited acreage to grow fruit as a sustainable crop option, which led to developing several cultivars of sweet potatoes and muscadine grapes. For many years, he expanded on his vision for a “small-farm plan,” which he continued working on late into his career. In 1987, he wrote a handbook entitled “How to Make $100,000 Farming 25-Acres.” Undoubtedly, his motto of “Find the Good and Praise It” still resonates today.
Black Farming Today
Photo courtesy of Young Family Farm and Yolanda Young
In 1967, during an interview with NBC and just eleven months before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of the plight of African Americans struggling to access economic support or land due to discriminatory practices:
“Emancipation for the Negro was freedom to hunger; it was freedom to the winds and rains of heaven; it was freedom without food to eat or land to cultivate, and therefore, it was freedom and famine at the same time.””
The movement toward food sovereignty continues today through the relentless work of communities, advocates, and organizations. Modern-day trailblazers are creating access, health, economic stability, and healing through urban gardening, farming, and orcharding. Communities are celebrating and honoring their culture, land, and food, creating a better environment today and for future generations.
Giving Grove board member Yolanda Young is a lifelong advocate of food justice and healthy living. She is the founder of the Kansas City urban farm, Young Family Farms, and also serves as a Missouri state representative. She leaves us with the following words of encouragement and challenge:
“As I reflect upon my life as Black woman with African and Native American roots, I realize more than ever how important responsible land stewardship and land ownership is. Both the indigenous peoples of America and the enslaved who were brought here against their will were ultimate stewards of this land – caring for the crops, animals, and land for the benefit of individuals in a system over which they had no ownership. During this Black History Month celebration, I am grateful that I (the descendant of these ultimate stewards) work the land that I own. I pay homage to my ancestors and my elders who have inspired me to create pathways for responsible land stewardship through land ownership in hope of sustaining generations to come. ”