From February 2023
Happy Black History Month!
This February, we’ll be highlighting just a few of the many amazing historic and contemporary Black farmers and herbalists who have contributed to the sustainable agriculture movement. Major shoutout to @soulfirefarm’s Leah Penniman and her book, Farming While Black, which was a major resource for researching these highlights.
So let’s get started! Did you know that the first ever land trust in the United States was started right here in Georgia? Shirley and Charles Sherrod, civil rights activists from Albany, founded New Communities in 1969. Facing violence and displacement, the Sherrods started a movement to unite Black farmers in their community and collectively purchase 5,700 acres of land. Together, they raised livestock and a wide variety of crops.
After the federal government denied New Communities drought relief funds in the 1980s, the Sherrods became plaintiffs in the historic Pigford v. Glickman Supreme Court Case. They used the winnings from the case to purchase a historic plantation in Albany and reestablish New Communities as Resora, a center dedicated to sustainability and community and social development.
We honor the Sherrods and their contributions to both civil rights and sustainable agriculture. You can hear more of this story in Shirley Sherrod’s own voice through the @ugalibs Oral History Collection.
Sources: Farming While Black, New Communities Inc., The Resora Experience and the UGA Special Collections Library.
