Rooted resistance: The struggle for Black liberation through food cultivation

ABSTRACT

In U.S. cities, distinct regions of wealth and poverty structure the distribution of political power and public resources along racial lines. Black-led urban farms resist these inequitable conditions by using food cultivation as a tool of community resilience building and power shifting. In this study, I propose a framework to describe the roles of Black-led urban farms within low-income Black communities. I assess this framework using a comparative case study and semi-structured interviews with Black urban farmers in Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; and Portland, Oregon. Findings suggest that Black-led urban farms advance Black community survival and wellbeing by instilling local Black placemaking, fostering personal and racial healing, and resisting racial capitalism. I conclude that Black-led urban farms function as “compass institutions” and generate social value that benefits their respective cities. I provide policy recommendations for local governments and prospective funders seeking to advance the social impact of these farms.

KEYWORDS:

• Black placemaking
• racial capitalism
• urban agriculture
• compass institution
• social value

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Cathy Yang Liu, K. Juree Capers, Dan Immergluck, Janelle Kerlin, Rashida Askia, Susan Pavlin, and Justine Lindemann for their feedback on early iterations of this work. Also, extra special thank you to Shantae Johnson, Arthur Shavers, Jerry Hunter, Malcom Hoover, Mirabai Collins, Carol Hunter, Rashid Nuri, Kwabena Nkromo, Tenisio Seanima, j. olu baiyewu, Malik Yakini, and Natosha Tallman for sharing your stories with me. I am deeply grateful.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. j. olu baiyewu (Interview #2, Table 1) did not currently run a farm at the time of the interview but had previously been an urban farmer and worked in other food system positions. In his role as urban agriculture director of Atlanta, he interacts with urban farmers across the city and country. Rashid Nuri (retired founder) and Carol Hunter (executive director) both represented TLW at the time of the interview.

2. At the time of this interview in 2019, the organization was known as the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.

3. MudBone Grown also manages CROPS in partnership with Jerry Hunter on behalf of Multnomah County.

4. 5.6% of Portland population identified as Black (reporting only one race) in the 2020 U.S. Census.

5. Ms. Carol recently retired from TLW.

6. At his request, this interviewee’s name is printed in lowercase throughout this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren Forbes

Lauren Forbes is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati.