Greetings,
This week’s Farm Friday lesson is a brief introduction to (or reminder of) some of the intersections of police brutality, anti-Blackness, and the food system. In addition to donating to bail funds and supporting the struggle, take this time to educate yourself.
The USDA systematically suppressed Black farmers and even during the Obama administration, many issues and claims against the organization went unresolved. In 1999, the initial lawsuit against the USDA, Pigford v. Glickman, led to an agreement on the largest civil rights settlement; however, the nearly $2 billion settlement did not reach Black farmers, which let to a push for a second settlement in the 2010s. Beyond failing to compensate Black farmers for their loss, this settlement is not even large when compared to police budgets—the LAPD proposed operating budget for the 2020–2021 fiscal year is nearly $2 billion.
Check out Why Hunger’s 2015 interview with Dara Cooper, activist at the National Black Food and Justice Alliance. Cooper highlights the connections between police brutality and food injustice and shares information about organizations and resources that are working towards Black food sovereignty. Land ownership and sovereignty are vital to combat food deserts. F.A.R.M.S. is a great Black-run non-profit that fights against the loss of Black farmland (an estimated 30,000 acres a month in the 1990s). Crenshaw-based guerilla-gardener Ron Finley also works to reclaim public spaces as gardens and combats poor access to nutrition in what he calls food prisons.
This is just a starting point and I am far from an expert—I urge you to continue to learn about these systematic injustices and take action against the oppression of Black lives.
Best,
Kate