Callings and farmers

Isaiah is clear on when and where his calling came. He makes it perfectly clear and he does so with passion. People often ask me, “So, why, Waymon, do you do this work with farmers? You’re not a farmer, so what’s up with this?” Questions are often agendized, or so it seems to me, but if they are legitimate points of curiosity, then answers are not a problem.

The “calling” came on a Friday afternoon, spring, 1994, when the phone rang. After some time of discussing matters with the attorney on the other end of the line, he said something to the effect of “I think I have failed to communicate to you, Dr. Hinson, the severity of our concerns.” My reply was something to the effect, “So, help me get it.” He did. I did. From there, the “calling” led to farmers and families, stories of blatant and egregious acts of discrimination, land lost, livelihood lost, self lost, and health lost. It led to amazing stories of resilience and courage, faithfulness to the land and to the yearning to farm, and devotion to this righteous cause. Eventually it led to DC, to a mediation hearing, and then to Pigford, and now to these times.

During the fall, 2005, the “calling” led to hours of conversations with farmers and families in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, as story was told upon story in the rural areas of our land. At the end of each of those interviews, my commitment to the farmers and families was “to be a faithful teller of your stories.” That is the purpose of this blog.

So, on the pages of this blog you will read some things that are of an academic nature, and other things related to farmers and farming, public policy, community of faith, advocacy efforts, and darker stories of our human natures that are revealed in the plight of the Black farmer. You will read some personal stories. These are their stories, and our stories are co-mingled with theirs in the quest for justice.