Another exchange of ideas about hair

Sometimes it's important to sit back and let someone who knows what they're talking about to provide instruction. Following the last post on Kid Rock's documentary, a good friend made some provocative comments via email. It is with her permission that the following quote is placed here. Thanks, Janice, for once more making me think about things that matter.

I think Rock (didn't see the movie) tried to bring awareness through humor. I was struck by your comments about the business industry part of it. No doubt that money has been made, but I think that really oversimplifies the issue. The brief discussion shared between a friend and myself had to do with how much "hair" is related to slavery and the position/privilege aligned with your hair-the socialization or unconscious carryover to present. In short...those with straighter hair (more white hair) were usually the master's children, although not claimed. Those children were often the house slaves and "afforded" more privilege b/c of their relation to the master. They also had a tendency to perceive themselves as better although they were still slaves. Whites had a tendency to see them as prettier and b/c self image was highly influenced by the master race-for example, children begin to develop an idea of self in relation to how the parent views them. So, if whites didn't see black as pretty and the lighter you were, the less black you were, therefore, you must be pretty or prettier. The hair thing is very similar to the color thing-it all ties together. The fairer blacks obviously were the children of the master. If white is beautiful, then black must not be, so the less black you are, the prettier you are. It's crazy! So, here we are in the 21st century still talking about what (how one) defines beauty or status based on years of slavery, dissociating from things that make you more black-more acceptable. Probably mostly doing life in some form of "self hate" not realizing it nor being able to give it a name. Unconsciously playing out on a daily basis. --- Janice Hayes

"Good Hair:" Let It Speak for Itself

Chris Rock is apparently walking out on thin ice in some circles. From his daughter's pleadings to his research and interviews, and now to this documentary, he is pulling aside the veil of secrecy between some and others, but not so between others and others. Hair care is a multi-billion dollar industry in this country, for African Americans and for others of all genders and ethnicities. It's both humorous, engaging, moving, and informing.

On the white side, just look sometimes at the lengths that we men will go to do keep, replace, or make younger our hair, and that's just on the male side of the spectrum. I'll have to ask my wife about the female side of the equation.

In the meantime, I've watched and listened from the side lines the issues that Rock addresses in this documentary. It's been a learning experience, and it's time for all of us to learn more out of respect, decency, and all. Let me know what you think about this trailer and/or the documentary.

Struck by Quotes from Merton and Cone

In my surfing through various pages of readings today, these two quotes stood out:

From Thomas Merton:

For me--the betrayal I have to look out for is that which would consist simply in attaching myself to a "cause" that happens to be operating at this time, and getting involved, and letting myself be carried along with it, simply making appropriate noises from time to time, at a distance. -- End of 1965, V.342-43 as cited in A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals.

From James Cone:

Because Black Theology's Christology is based on the biblical portrayal of Jesus Christ and Jesus' past and present involvement in the struggle of oppressed peoples, it affirms that who Jesus Christ is for us today is connected with the divine future as disclosed in the liberation fight of the poor. When connected with the person of Jesus, hope is not an intellectual idea; rather, it is the praxis of freedom in the oppressed community. -- God of the Oppressed

Nobel Peace, Present and Future

Rapping for health

The Committee to Save Education

Our last event in North Carolina was also one of the more interesting. We know that community involvement and education are important to Gary Grant, and we knew that he was serving on a committee to save community schools a few miles away.

Tired though we were, we traveled where he traveled, this man of boundless energy. We drove to the New Birth Tabernacle Church, Scotland Neck, NC, for a 7:00 pm meeting chaired by Clure Evans. A full agenda was printed for all, and with the crowd small, and the meeting not yet begun, we followed Gary's lead and met all attendees. The crowd got larger as the evening wore on. Young and old, men and women. Workers and retired. All were there.

Gary asked me to speak extemporaneously about the value of research. I stumblingly did so.

Seems like the county superintendent has left town, perhaps under pressure, and now the school board is selecting a new one, and at the top of the agenda is revisiting the closure of schools in this predominantly black area of rural NC. Middle School kids will begin the day after riding buses to school across the county, literally across the county. By report, these kids will get on the bus at 6:10 and not get home until after 5:00. The time on the bus will be approximately 4+hours for each kid. Now what's right about that? School buses are cool, but not when you have to live 1/5 of your day on them. I hear it's a major challenge for school bus drivers and for parents as well.

Several things were remarkable: 1) there were several Black men who were leaders there, one the mayor, another the committee leader, another an officer at the local armory who volunteered the armory for a meeting, and an experienced community organizer; 2) the passion with which people were willing to be organized in a meaningful effort; and 3) the amazing skills of the senior gentleman in the crowd, a man I referred to under my breath to my wife as "the consummate community organizer."

Normally in the Black community is led by women. Not a bad thing. That's a good thing. Good women are needed in righteous causes. It is not the normal for some many young men to step up to the plate to lead important matters. Gary wanted us to note that. We did. They all spoke, they were informed, and my prayers are with them.

To top off the evening, we had great fried chicken at the best restaurant in the town, and we got to spend time with a young man with a bright future as a community organizer. He is young and unassuming, but he is willing to be tutored by Mr. Grant. Clure Evans will be a force to be dealt with over the next few years. I didn't get the officer's name.

Another gift to this community is a community organizer who had just moved to Scotland Neck with her husband who was originally from this area. Ms. Norfleet did the same things back in New York. Lord, bless her efforts. And, she is a licensed minister of the gospel.

I hear that 30+ attended this particular protest march and another 75+ attended a protest march at another school in the area. Who is watching?

"So, Lord, if indeed it's the case that people rise up at certain moments, in certain times for certain causes, could it just be that your hand is upon Gary Grant, Clure Evans, the officer, Ms. Norfleet, and the others who were there and not there that evening? Thanks for allowing us to see community organization in action. Bless that community. Bless that committee. Bless those kids as they endure long hours on the bus. Bless that school board and lead them to reopening those closed schools and opening up those closed neighborhoods. May your Kingdom come and your will be done in Scotland Neck, NC, as it also should be done in Ada, OK."

A Day of Celebration and More

It was a day that my wife and I had been anticipating for a while. This day was to be a day of celebration in honor of Gary Grant, President of the Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association, on his 66th birthday. We had not been in Tillery since February. It was good to be back.

We reminisced as we drove along country roads in rural North Carolina. The corn looked about ready to harvest. The soybeans and cotton looked to be the beneficiaries of a decent amount of rain of late. Old curin' barns along that stretch of land. Ramshackle houses, no longer occupied by those who worked the land. Large houses up lanes off the road looked to be well kept much of the time. We were in an area that was 97% African American.

As we pulled into an area known as the "Tillery Resettlement Community," things became even more familiar. "Over the Farm Road" was among the roads over which we'd passed in recent years. We pulled up to resettlement section 46, and on it we saw a pair of resettlement houses pieced together by the occupant, the gentleman we'd celebrate. Parking was across the road, adjacent to his parents' house and final resting place. We parked. As we crossed the road and walked up the lane, Cary came out to greet us with his warm smile and gracious hug. He had been there for a while getting prepared for the people who were soon to arrive.

Two large white tents were in the front yard, round tables were set under them, and folding chairs were ready for the seating. Spencer, our friend from Kansas was there, helping with finishing touches. Soon Gary emerged from his house. The party was on. Again, words of welcome and warm hugs fell upon both of us.

The crowd began to arrive. Diverse it was. A farmer's daughter and her three sons greeted us. We'd met in 2005. Her voice was unmistakable. She told her story within the context of her father the farmer's story of struggles in dealing with the USDA. She was proud to introduce her sons, and I was pleased to meet them. We talked of family, sports, and academics.

Off in the distance, up and over the trees that lined the Roanoke River, the clouds darkened, the wind began to blow, and we knew that rain was coming. First off in the distance, and then around us, and then blowing sideways into us, we were not terribly prepared for the interference that came.

By this time, numerous elderly friends had arrived. Those who were not able to get into the house before the rain came were forced to huddle in the middle of the tent.

But not even the rain could dim the joy of the day, and after all, aren't farmers generally glad for rain whenever it comes? Same on this day.

It was a day of food, BBQ, fried fish, birthday cake of other delicacies.

It was a day of celebration with music, singing, and dancing. Gospel and R & B sounds came over the speakers. We marveled at how a 66 year old man still had moves.

Friends had come from across the country, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, and Oklahoma. Politicians, ministers of the gospel, and advocates were there. Academics, farmers, and Concerned Citizens of Tillery were there. We were all in various ways connected to the man and the causes.

My honor was in leading the opening prayer. Others spoke words of tribute to this good man. Others quietly ate their food and enjoyed the festivities.

Some faces I missed seeing. They were elderly and feeble and couldn't get out. Others had passed.

We indeed celebrated his birthday. Even more, we celebrated the cause of righteousness for which he stands and for which he is laying down his life, environmental justice, Black farmers, the history of the Tillery Resettlement Community, saving a community school in a nearby community, and others.

The day ended with a walk across the road to the final resting place of the parents, Matthew and Florenza Grant, who had left an amazing legacy still lived out by their children. A group of us chatted, and then we formed a circle and a local pastor led us in prayer. As we opened our eyes, we turned to see a rainbow as it filled the sky off in the distance.

It was a birthday party. It was much more. It was held in the middle of a historic community. It was held on a farm. The crops looked good. It was a day of celebration and more.

Congratulations, Team IV and Friends

Though I've been away from ACU and the MFT program now for exactly a year, it was my fondness for the program, what it is all about, and the students who were graduating that drew us back into Abilene yesterday. Sure, we have family here, and it is more than sweet to share the time with them in their home. And, we have friends who love us here, and time is too short to see them all except for glimpses and bring hugs here and there.

The banquet always proceeds graduation for the MFT program at Abilene Christian University. Last night it was held in the Hunter Welcome Center. So, last night was one more in a long, long series of wonderful events in which God, gifts, and grace abound. Student representatives gave moving speeches. The graduating class offered their usual and customary spoof on the program and their love for each other, and, no, I do not zone out for ten minutes of rabbit chasing in class lectures; I only leave for five minutes. We need to keep an eye on the clock.

Comments by all indicated that it was an amazing year led by a Christ-spirited, servant-hearted second year class. Mathis Kennington received the Outstanding Second Year Student Award. Gretchen Etheredge was the recipient of the Spirit of the Counselor Award, both wonderful students from a great class of graduates. Among that group of world-changing people are three who formed Social Justice Team IV. We presented at two conferences, the second one with a bit of twist with Native Americana in it (amazing how similar land loss issues are for American Indians and Black Farmers), and met up once in Ada, Oklahoma, my new hometown, to fine tune where the project was going. Their contributions are chronicled elsewhere in these pages.

Daniel is going to College Station, Texas with his bride, Raquyyah is going to the University of Louisiana at Monroe to enter doctoral studies in family therapy, and Ty Mansfield is heading to Texas Tech, home of the Red Raiders, up in Lubbock to do the same. All three of these people are big-hearted and socially conscious, and will continue to make the world a better place, one social justice effort at a time.

I am looking forward to following these three into the next phases of their academic, personal, and social justice journeys; and I'm looking forward to all who will graduate tonight from Abilene Christian University.

The Struggles of Paul Quinn College

According to the Saturday issue of The Dallas Morning News, Paul Quinn College is in trouble. Last month the school received news from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that it was revoking the school's accreditation. Not content to go down without a fight, the school is going to appeal the decision. Check out the school's web page for President Michael J. Sorrell's statement.

Paul Quinn was founded in Austin in 1872 to teach African Americans who had been recently freed. The school then moved to Waco in 1882, and then to Dallas in 1990.

Who can argue with the school's mission statement:

“The mission of the College is to provide a quality, faith based education that addresses the academic, social, and Christian development of students and prepares them to be servant leaders and agents of change in their communities.”

The school is struggling the way a lot of small historically black colleges is struggling with dropping enrollment, a small endowment, and low assets.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the good news is that donations are up to $2.2 million for the fiscal year that ended in June. Other good news is support from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the United Negro College Fund.

The key to survival? It's probably more support locally and a higher enrollment.

Looks like now's a good time for Dallas area citizens to show some love to this small college that has a huge legacy.

A curious note is that enrollment at Wiley College at Marshall, featured in The Great Debaters, is up 36% and their net assets rest at $11 million. Check out their web page.

I'm going to follow both of these schools.

City Farming

Folks are realizing the value of raising their own. From country cousins to city cousins, there is apparently a move afoot to get back to our roots in terms of eating what we grow.

Some folks are using small parcels of land to produce food for locals.

Read what is going on in Atlanta.

Take a look at this video:



I especially like the idea of having to go back in order to go forward.

Anybody else doing this sort of thing in your city or town?

A Very Brief Overview, One Farmer Mississippi

God of Our Weary Years (1921)

This poem from James Weldon Johnson's pen should have a familiar ring to it.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way.

Thou who wast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray;

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand
True to our God, true to our native land!

From Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans, by James Melvin Washington, Ph.D.

An important update

There is an important update on our efforts to save the Grant family farm.

Please check out this link to read up on it. I'd also encourage you to join the cause. It's a noble effort for a family that has poured out its life for what is righteous.

Here is the link: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/268646/20447472?m=6d54c0aa

Also, you can catch up at: http://www.grantfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks, Mr. President, for Stepping Up!

Here is a memo that is worth reading. Vilsack is outlining his plan to clean up the USDA, a noble goal and a monumental task. This is likely laborious read, or it may simply make for a skim read.
You can find the full text of Vilsack's memo here.

Here's the full text of an announcement that is widely circulating. It's worth a full read as President Obama and Secretary Vilsack are quoted. This one is lifted from Southwest Farm Press.

Funding for black farmers suit

May 8, 2009 10:46 AM

The Obama administration’s fiscal year 2010 budget proposal will include funds to provide a final settlement for the lawsuit that alleged discrimination against minority farmers in USDA’s farm programs.

“I’m pleased that we are now able to close this chapter in the agency's history and move on,” President Obama said in a statement. "My hope is the farmers and their families who were denied access to USDA loans and programs will be made whole and will have the chance to rebuild their lives and their businesses.”

“I am very pleased that President Obama is taking swift action on this matter as it will help us chart a new course at USDA, one on which all USDA customers and employees are treated equally and fairly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

In 1999, USDA entered into a consent agreement with black farmers in which the agency agreed to pay for past discrimination in lending and other USDA programs. Thousands of claims have been adjudicated, but other claims were not considered on their merits because problems with the notification and claims process hindered some farmers’ ability to participate. To deal with the remaining claims, Congress provided these farmers another avenue for restitution in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.

For those who have claims that were not considered on the merits because the claim was found not to be timely, the 2008 farm bill provided the right to file a new claim in federal court. The total amount offered by the federal government, $1.25 billion, includes $100 million that served as a “place holder” in Section 14012 of the Farm Bill.

The announcement comes on the heels of a memorandum released two weeks ago by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack detailing an aggressive plan to promote civil rights and equal access at USDA. The memo announced the following:

The temporary suspension of all foreclosures within the Farm Service Agency's farm loan program, which will not only aid farmers facing economic hardship but will also provide the opportunity to review the loan granting process for possible discriminatory conduct;

The creation of a Task force to conduct a review of a sample of program civil rights complaints that have been processed or that are currently being processed - the complaints and inquiries total over 14,000, including over 3,000 that have not been processed;

Granting greater authority to USDA's Office of Civil Rights.

The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights will collaborate with the other agencies to develop and implement a proposal for data collection across USDA, make sure all complaints are incorporated as part of one data system; and develop USDA policy and training to ensure that all complaints are received and dealt with in a consistent manner within a specific time frame.

Deeply Moved

I am deeply moved that people around the country are following the words on these pages. Thanks to all of you for your interest and concern for African American farmers of our land.

Information about President Obama's commitment to addressing the injustices will be forthcoming.

Thanks, friends, for caring about justice.

Dr. Leonard is Coming to Town, no Coming to the Country

Dr. Leonard, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights for the United States Department of Agriculture, is coming to Tillery, NC this afternoon. This is no small gesture, I hope and pray, on behalf of the Obama administration and USDA Agriculture Secretary Vilsack in particular.

His participation in the meeting sends a signal that the administration will live up to its promises of making wrongs right in the egregious acts of discrimination perpetrated on Black farmers, and other minority and women farmers of our land.

I have heard their stories. They are convincing. I am thinking of a Black farmer in Texas who was denied access to Pigford on a technicality. And then, there's an entire county just south of Birmingham which did not receive the information about the Pigford case. How did this happen? Frankly, it beats me, but when public figures affirm that that is the case, and when there is an entire set of Black farmers who never read various and sundry publications, nor heard CNN, or other media outlets advertise as to the case, then I'm convinced.

You have read on these pages and other outlets over the last few years as to the nature of the offenses: lost applications, stymied at even the application process, too little funding too late, crop failure, no disaster relief for Blacks while the Whites are offered disaster relief, no extension of credit to the Blacks while offered to the Whites, foreclosures, foreclosures, and more foreclosures despite a moratorium on foreclosures. Sale of property not their own for pennies on the dollar. And the list could go on and on.

In the words of a friend of mine from Tennessee, "That can't happen in America." Yes, that can happen in America. It has been happening all across the country. The people's department has become the department of the big and the rich.

Obama's 2010 budget includes a large sum of money to address these grievances. I don't think it'll be enough. Another contribution that the system at the USDA could make is firing those who discriminate against anyone. Why should someone stay in a position paid for by tax payer dollars when discrimination is evident. I'm with former congressman from Texas Charlie Stenholm, when he said on the record that they should be fired.

So, welcome to Tillery, Dr. Leonard. I am sorry that I'm not there to meet you. I care about these people and this movement. It is a blight on the conscience of the American people. It is a burdent on my soul. Until this issue is address, we will wear the stains of guilt and shame as a people for what some of our citizens and employees have done to other citizens of our country. I trust, Dr. Leonard, that there is indeed a new day dawning.

I am praying this afternoon, Dr. Leonard, that you will have eyes to see and hears to hear, and that your head and your heart, that your administrative and decision-making skills will be moved to action. I am also praying today for Gary and for Spencer, and for other members of the BFAA organization, and I'm praying for farmers who will stand before you, Dr. Leonard, and tell their stories. May you be moved, sir, at what you will see and hear.

And I pray to the Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, that this period of shame and degradation of our people will end, that justice will prevail.

Your job is clear, Dr. Leonard. I'm praying that you are up to the challenge. It is big, and I believe that you are.

Summit at Tillery

Here's an event that I would really like to attend, but work demands here in Oklahoma are keeping me home this weekend. Gary Grant and BFAA are continuing to advocate for Black farmers who did not receive justice under the Pigford Class Action Suit. At last notice, there were approximately 67,000 "late claimants," who for various and sundry technicalities were disallowed from entering the class action suit.

Now that we have a new administration in the White House, new appointments are being made in the USDA Office of Civil Rights. One of those is Dr. Joe Leonard. There appears to be a legitimate effort to right the wrongs perpetrated upon Black farmers of our country.

One of those efforts will be a listening session in Tillery on Friday, May 15.

Here is what the schedule looks like.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Tillery Community Center
321 Community Center Road
Halifax (Tillery), NC 27839

12:30 – 2:00pm

LUNCH

The Resettlement Café
8311 Hwy 561
Tillery, NC 27839
252-826-4076

3:30 – 5:00 PM

Town Hall Meeting
Tillery Community Center
321 Community Center Road
Halifax, NC 27839

5:05 – 7:00 PM

Individual Meetings With Dr. Joe Leonard,

Assistant Secretary for Civil Right, United States Department of Agriculture

5:15 – 6:30pm: BFAA MEETING
Tour the Remembering Tillery History House

************************************************

Hosted by: Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association
And
Concerned Citizens of Tillery’s Land Loss Fund

Check out BFAA's web page for more information about these and other important concerns.

Southern Farmers and Their Stories

Here is a book that I'd recommend to those who care about farming, its history, and racial concerns. The review was written for the Red River Valley Historical Journal, and appeared in 2007, volume 5, pages 147-149. The journal is edited by Dr. Vernon Williams, Department of History, Abilene Christian University. I appreciate his offer to review this volume. It carries with it a narrative theoretical orientation and dominant themes which will be familiar to the readers of these pages.

Here's the text of that review:

Melissa Walker, associate professor of history at Converse College, takes on a monumental task in Southern Farmers and Their Stories: Memory and Meaning in Oral History. An oral historian by training and a farmer’s daughter by birth, she explains the influence of a variety of sociologists and psychologists in developing her orientation toward “communities of memory” in the sense that her study “mapped the boundaries of their community of memory by telling stories about their shared rural past.” The author uses “memory as a category of cultural and historical analysis” as a means of gathering those experiences and their descriptions. At the outset, she intends to answer three questions: 1) “What experiences molded rural southerners’ sense of shared past?” 2) “How did they remember rural transformation?” and 3) “What does the shape of their stories about change tell us about how people use memories and knowledge of the past to make sense of the world in which they live today?”

In order to answer those questions, she assumes a narrative theoretical orientation in pouring over a massive amount of archival material which included the transcripts of 475 interviews, eight of which she conducted herself, with 531 people, held for the most part from 1975 to 1995. These transcripts of conversations with rural southerners from fourteen states varied enormously in terms of their purposes, i.e., Black life in the Jim Crow South, the Civil Rights Movement, southern industrialization, and rural life. While acknowledging the challenges of reading transcripts as compared to participating in the interviews, she asserts that the complexity of the purposes, interviewers, and time frames all allow her to achieve her purposes, that of uncovering themes of rural southerners. The diversity of the interviewees provides much richness to the pursuit of answers to her questions as the interviews criss-cross such diverse populations as landowners and non-landowners, men and women from different generations, black and white, those who had to endure racial discrimination and those who did not, and those who lost land and those who persevered and still own the land.

In addition to organizing the material into common and disparate themes that ultimately answered her questions, the author carefully develops the concept of “communities of memory,” which she describes as the shared past with its multiplicity of contrasts, the sense of “us” versus “them, ” “rural” versus “non-rural” people, and the past versus the present. She also nuances the notion of “collective memory,” that which is located in and spoken by the individual, which ultimately overlaps with memories of others in tracing themes that include the past, the present, and the future.

She contributes to the discourse of rural southerners and their struggles during the transformation of the south by providing a seventeen page summary of the manner in which the crisis of economics, government policy, technology, and structural changes in the economy of agriculture impacted farming and rural life. From there, she organizes her material into five chapters. Chapter one describes the lived experiences of three southern farmers, a White woman, an African American man, and a White man who owned land. Her nuancing their common and disparate themes such as the satisfying nature of farming, continuity with the past, identity, commitment to farming, hardships, friendships, and independence is very readable material. Chapter two uses the concept of memory in an attempt to understand rural southerners via dominant themes of self sufficiency, work ethic, mutual aid, love of the land, relative economic equality, differences between town and country, and rural identity and personal character. Chapter three contains descriptions from the stories of two groups of rural southerners: the pre-war generation and their views of the changes in the south, and the post-war’s generation and common themes of “get big or get out,” and the role of the federal government and its policies. Chapter four examines the concept of memory and the meaning of change via the complexities of several variables: gender; class; landless versus landowning pre-war whites; racial discrimination, government policy and reasons for leaving the land for African Americans; and post-war whites and their reasons for leaving the land.

In chapter five the author organizes her materials around the concept of how the past and its stories are shaped by the present via sub-themes of the blessing and curse of material improvements, views of today’s young people, changes in community life, cracks in the mythology of rural community, and critiques of contemporary life. In her conclusion she provides a nice, brief summary of the common threads of the entire book.

Valuable information is offered to the reader in the appendices for either informational purposes and/or further study. Appendix One contains demographic data, gender, state, purpose of interview, decade by birth, landowning status by race, and education level by number and percentage of the interviews. Appendix Two lists alphabetically all interviewees by state, gender, year of birth, landowning status, and level of education with a lengthy list of abbreviations for help in mastering the massive amount of content. Appendix Three contains 25 pages of archival sources for all of the interviews. Dr. Walker’s bibliographic essay is especially informative as she describes her academic use of specific sources and her way of thinking about specific points of inquiry: memory, public discourse, and oral history and the relationship between history and memory. Finally, notes for both comments and bibliographical sources are organized by chapter and are exceptionally thorough.

In short, Dr. Walker’s book is well worth placing on our shelves if we are interested in narrative theory, communities of memory, the rural south, transformations in the culture of farming, gender within the rural south within the context of farming, and racism in the south and agriculture policy. Her book is readable though challenging conceptually. She goes to great lengths to answer her key questions, and she does so both efficiently and thoroughly.

Step up President Obama

In chasing a few rabbits on the struggle of the black farmer this morning on the web, I ran across this painting. I have not heard of the artist, but plan to find out more. It moves me in a variety of ways. What does it do to you?

There is quite a bit of rhetoric on various blog pages and others as well these days as to why President Obama is not supporting a movement that he endorsed when he was in congress. That perplexes me as well. $100 million set aside by congress was only a "starting point," and we all figured it would take more to address grievances of those who were disallowed from entering the Pigford Class Action Suit.

We'll see how it goes. I'm not encouraged. Neither are some of my other friends, those who work on both sides of the isle and those who skin is dark or light.

Meet Harry Young, Kentucky Farmer

I haven't seen or heard from Mr. Young in some time. We participated in a protest march with him, some of his family, and some of his friends a year or so ago. Now, a friend says that he's been jailed. Family members are on their way. He's 81 years of age. He's got a tobacco crop growing on his brother's land. His land has been taken away from him. He has proof that he paid the indebtedness that the USDA says he owes, but they won't let him see the documentation they have against him.

There are several things about him on this blog. Search him out, please.

Please check out the July 8, 2008 post on Mr. Young. You'll be able to see a youtube video of him speaking in DC.

Here's what I wrote in 2007.

"Harry Young is a Black farmer in Kentucky. His land had been in his family for over 100 years. Now he's been evicted and his land sold, all because he did not repay loans he did not receive. I first heard his story at the First Annual Conference on the Black Farmer and Land Loss when Mr. Young and one of his sons spoke of their family's struggles. In a brief exchange, I said to the son, "Unbelievable!" His reply? "Believe it. It's true."

The Young story is chronicled here, here, here, and here.

It should make us stop and think, and wonder, and pray, and work and pray."

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer

This morning you came to mind as I read Psalm 103.

I was reminded of our conversation several months back as we sat in your kitchen there in your home not far from the Raleigh/Durham area. You were willing to talk with me, a researcher from a small west Texas university about your struggles with the USDA.

I knew I was an unwelcome guest when one of your sons came in asking "who is the clown" who parked in the middle of the drive way. My car was not in the middle of the drive way, Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, but that question served notice that there was an unwelcome guest in your home. That unwelcomed guest was me. I suspect he was trying to protect you from people who look like me. I am a white man, and I was a stranger to you and those who loved you.

I took no offense at the harshly tenored question. You were then elderly, and now even older, and an honorable son would not want his parents to be further wounded and disadvantaged by anyone. His tone and his words did put me on edge, and justifably so.

During those early moments of the interview, and even later toward the end of the interview, you commented Mr. Farmer, while Mrs. Farmer stood over against the refrigerator in the kitchen, that "He will take care of things. Pay day some day. God will take care of those who hurt people."

Then an older son came in. Mrs. Farmer, you had called him to notify him that the interviewer was there and wanted to talk to him as well. He challenged me left and right, didn't he? I personally had done no wrongs to you or to him, but "my people," those of us whose skin is white had harmed all of you. Those of us whose skin is white who live and work in positions of power and privilege had indeed harmed all of you.

You had lost your farm. You like other black farmers had been shoved to the back of the line in terms of programs and policies within the local county FSA office, a division of the USDA. Because your skin is darker than other folks, they saw you coming, ignored you, made you wait, altered your farm operation plans, and then gave you less than what you needed, and later than you could use. Then the unspeakable happened, a disaster year occurred, like it did to other farmers, yet they received disaster relief funds that saw them through, and you were not afforded the same opportunity.

There was a lot of hurt and anger, tears and sadness, and bitterness and rage that day. Some of your kin could have died. They have heart conditions. Yet they remain true to God.

They believe similar things as did the writer of Psalm 103.

I hope you all are right, that God will settle the score, that in the end things will work out right.

I only wish, Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, that you owned your land, and that your sons worked the land you and they owned.

I still remember that day in your home, Mr. and Mrs. Farmer. That day is indelibly printed in my mind and in my heart.

I still remember.

New blog, new challenge

Take a couple of moments and look at this new blog. It's about a new blog, but even more than that, it's about a new challenge. The challenge is to help save a historic farm for a brave people. It's one illustration of Black land loss in our country.

More information will posted to it shortly.

Let us know what you think.

http://grantfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/

Amazing Grace, once more...

Dear President Obama

BLACK FARMERS & AGRICULTURALISTS ASSOCIATION

& THE LAND LOSS FUND
P.O. Box 61
Tillery, NC 27887

Ph. 252-826-2800 ax: (252) 826-3244 E-mail: tillery@aol.com

http://www.bfaa-us.org/

March 1, 2009

Via Fax: 202-456-2461

President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President.

The 11th National Black Land Loss Summit was held in the historic communities of the New Deal Tillery Resettlement Farm Community (Halifax County) and Franklinton Center at Bricks (Edgecombe County) North Carolina on February 20-21, 2009. Attendees from ten states and the District of Columbia voted unanimously that we write you with the following request.

We respectfully request that you issue an Executive Order for the following:

Eliminate all debt to the USDA among black farmers who are members of the Pigford Class. These farmers have already established that they were victims of discrimination. Much of the indebtedness is from interest charges.

Provide ample dollars to compensate those who are in any legal and or Administrative Process resulting from discrimination covering the same time period (January 1, 1981 – December 31, 1996).

Insure that the elimination of this debt will not be counted as income and is therefore not taxable. Again, the majority of this debt is accrued interest.

Restore the credit rating of all of these hard-working farm families.

In 1933, members of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union expressed concern with FDR’s utilization of the county committee system to administer programs such as those in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration created in his first hundred days through the Agricultural Adjustment Act. The STFU, a biracial union of sharecroppers based in the cotton South, argued then that such a system was akin to the fox guarding the hen house.

Since then, black and limited resource farmers have been victims of local bias in the administration of public resources. Confirming the auspicious concerns of the STFU, black farms have declined by nearly 98 percent since 1920 and their farmed acreage has decreased by approximately 50 percent. This decline is worse for black farms than white farms no matter how you look at it. Further, numerous government reports (CRAT, 1997; USOCR, 1982; USDA, 1997, 1998, 2002) have found reason for concern and discrimination on the part of Lincoln’s “the people’s department,” the US Department of Agriculture. It seems that the fox has grown mighty fat on its regular diet of black farms.

In response to the decades of inaction, black farmers successfully sued Secretary Glickman and the Department of Agriculture in the now historic Pigford v. Glickman 1997 suit. The result was the largest class-action civil rights settlement in the history of the country. Black farmers, long known as cornerstones of the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement, have led again, this time challenging one of our largest public institutions, the USDA. Put another way, Pigford v. Glickman stands as a civil rights case of nearly the same magnitude as Brown v. Board of Education. While Brown v. Board of Education overturned the famous Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. Pigford v. Glickman challenges a key component of the persistent wealth inequality between African Americans and Whites. Since 1865 the percent of total wealth in the country owned by African Americans has doubled from one half of one percent to one percent as of 1990. The loss of nearly eight million acres of farmland since 1920, while a small percentage of the total US farm acreage, is devastating to the African-American community.

You have correctly, to our minds, identified the need to protect the property investments of millions of Americans that are at risk due to the recent mortgage crisis and faltering economy. Your omission, however, is in abandoning the case of African-American farmers, who also were the “middle class” of rural black communities. These farmers need to also be included in any reasonable effort to protect the wealth base of our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Further, we urge you to act with all deliberate speed to ward against the failures of any additional black farmers and sign this Executive Order such that it will go into effect by April 15th.

Like farmers everywhere, we hope for good weather and bountiful crops. Like you, Mr. President, we also hope and are working diligently for a future of fairness and equality that rewards us for our efforts, but does not punish us for the color of our skin.

We would also request a conversation in person with you about these important matters related to the survival of the Black farmer, landowner, and family.

Yours for the Survival of the Black Farmer and Landowner,

Gary R. Grant
President

Attachment: Statistics on Black Land Loss

STATISTICS THAT SPEAK WITH HISTORIC CLARITY: BLACK LAND LOSS

In 1920, 1 in every 7 farmers was Black.

In 1982, 1 in every 67 farmers was Black.

In 1910, black farmers owned 15.6 million acres of farmland nationally.

In 1982, Black farmers owned 3.1 million acres of farmland nationally.

In 1950, Black farmers in NC owned 1.2 million acres of land.

In 1982, Black farmers in NC owned only 400,000 acres.Between 1920 and 1992 the number of Black farmers in the U.S. declined from 925,710 to 18,816 or by 98 percent.

In 1984 and 1985, the USDA lent $1.3 billion to farmers nationwide to buy land. Of the almost 16,000 farmers who received those funds, only 209 were Black.

Almost half of all black-operated farms are smaller than 50 acres.

In the late 1980's, there were less than 200 African-American farmers in the United States under the age of 25.

In 1993, an Associated Press analysis found, Black farmers on average received $21,000 less than White borrowers from a Farmers Home Administration loan program.

In 1983, 1.3 percent of 1.45 million farmers were Black.

In 1996, 0.5 percent of 1.31 million farmers were Black. During the same period the percentages of females and Hispanic farmers increased.

In North Carolina there has been a 64% decline in African American farmers in the past 15 years, from 6, 996 farms in 1978 to 2, 498 farms in 1992.

Between 1992 and 1997, the percentage of Black or other none white full owner farmers in Halifax County dropped from 25.44% to 19.73%.

However, at the same time, the number of “part-owner” farmers in Halifax County increased by 17.86%. This is due primarily to Heir Property System.

A Few Candid Shots from the Summit

Thanks to Spencer Wood, Ph.D., professor of sociology, Kansas State, for his photography. The conference was attended by farmers, spouses, activists, attorneys, professors, and government workers. Topics included sustainability efforts, biofuels, the impact of discrimination on the health and well being of farmers and family members, organic farming, and other topics.

It Took Place Here.....

On these sacred grounds once walked.......Wiley, Ben, Jim, Pagan, Peter, Jake, Isaac, Ned, Madison, Little John, Big John, Reddick, Asa, Chester, Darb, Oliver, Dan, and Dennis, and thousands more. They were young, age 4 (?), age 8, or older (28 or 30). They are listed along with other property. They were human beings, yet they were bought and sold.

When I heard the pastor read their names at the welcome prior to lunch on Saturday, chill bumps ran up and down my spin. I was sitting on the very place where people by those names had once trod.

And so, it was on that holy ground that we met together for the 11th Annual Black Land Loss Summit Conference. It had once been a college and after that a place that has been transformative in the lives of people seeking after justice.

Prior to that, though, it was a place of violence, a place where slaves were brought and beaten into submission. A place that had once been about injustice now held a conference about justice.

The conference actually started the day before in Tillery. Who would want to forget about that historical place?

More to come.

11th National Black Land Loss Summit

The Summit is here. Charla and I find it interesting to land in North Carolina once more. We'll be seeing old friends and making new friends. This is not a "family reunion" per se, but some of the attendees are indeed like family. There's family in the blood and there's family in the spirit. Some are tighter than others. A righteous cause brings together like-minded people in an effort o make a difference in the world.

We joined this righteous cause in an unsuspecting way in the early '90s. The stories of African American farmers captured us then and hold us now. We all get it that most, though not all(maybe "some" would be a better word), of Jim Crow's racist policies have ended, the more subtle forms of racism remain prevalent. Not only are they prevalent but they are pervasive and cut to the quick day in and day out for people of our land.

This summit will be shifting the focus to the future of Black farmers and their livelihood. A shift toward the future is a good thing, but we must never forget the past, especially if the past lives on in the present. The signs of white privilege are all around us. It catches us and holds us, even when we attempt to deny it. When we unpack our "invisible nap sack," so to speak, we can make a difference in the world. Some call it "unconscious habit," something we've acquired via being seduced into believing certain things about ourselves, or assuming certain things about ourselves that go unquestioned.

My contribution to the Summit will be modest at best, minimal in all probability. However, the Summit's contribution to my life and work will be immense. It will continue to fuel the passion for justice that flows through my veins.

The Summit brings together like-minded people.

This weekend I will miss more than I can say those good people from Abilene Christian University who formed Social Justice Teams I, II, III, and IV. They will be here in spirit. I am indebted to them for the influence they had and continue to have on my life and this Righteous Cause.

Pray for this noble event and how it will influence things in these parts and around the country.

11th National Black Land Loss Summit

The Summit is around the corner.

Check out this link for details and for BFAA's new website.

Pray for this effort.

Hope to see you there.

11th National Black Land Loss Summit

11th National Black Land Loss Summit

February 20-22, 2009

Tillery and Franklinton Center at Bricks, NC

Theme: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

WHY A SUMMIT?

Prior to the now historic class action lawsuit brought by black farmers, Tim Pigford vs. Glickman, Secretary of USDA, African Americans had been losing nearly 9,000 acres of land per week for years. Yet, between the end of slavery and 1920, African Americans showed an impressive capacity for excellence by establishing nearly one million farms on approximately fifteen million acres. Since then, however, our farms and owned farmland have declined precipitously. Farm numbers have declined by roughly 98 percent and our owned farm acres have decreased by over 50 percent. Even recently, our farm numbers have continued to decline. Between 1982 and 1997 alone, the number of black-operated farms nationwide fell nearly 45 percent, while many southern states saw a decline of over 50 percent. In North Carolina, the home of the lead plaintiff in the Pigford case, black farms declined by a staggering 66 percent during the 1980s and 1990s. Today, new methods of counting small and disadvantaged farms make direct comparisons since 1997 difficult and should be viewed with caution. For those of us on the ground, things do not seem dramatically better. To add insult to injury, many rural southern communities endure environmental degradation, health risks and loss of economic vitality as part of nationwide environmental injustice and racism. This injustice is worsened by the loss of farmland and control of our communities. A national Black Land Loss Summit is an opportunity to jointly craft and rework our focus, perhaps returning to our original concerns about fairness and health in the countryside, in this post-Pigford era.

DISCRIMINATION and the USDA

The Pigford v. Glickman Consent Decree has failed miserably and the struggle for survival has become more crucial. In April 2009, it will have been eleven years since the Pigford Consent Decree was declared "a fair, adequate and reasonable settlement of the claims brought in the case" by Judge Paul Freidman, and yet so little progress has been made for black farmers.

PROPOSED AGENDA

FRIDAY – February 20, 2009

2:00pm – Registration Opens – Tillery Community Center, Tillery, NC

3:00 – BFAA Board Meets

Select a recommended slate of officers
Vision and Mission Statements
Transition from Pigford Education and Advocacy
Black Family Farmers ARE Middle Class

Research

Family farms vs. industrial operations
Local food vs. corporate
Health & community vs. greed
BFAA as leadership in the Black farm movement
Partnering with Agriculturalists
Commitment to the organization
Going from chapters to state representatives
Plan of Action
One or two primary agenda items for the year
Relationship with other organization
What organizations do we want to partner with
Establishing BFAA with International Land Groups
Other items

5:30 – Dinner – The Resettlement Café

7:00 – Head to Franklinton Center for the nights stay

SATURDAY – February 21, 2009

8:00am Breakfast

9:00 Workshop – Bio Mass

10:00 Break

10:15 Workshop – Risk Management

11:30 Local Foods – Dorothy Barker, Spring Plant (Invited)

12:30 Lunch

2:00 White Privilege and the Costs to African American Farmers -
Waymon Hinson, PhD

3:00 Workshop – Farm Bill 2008 – Lloyd Wright and Quintin Robinson

4:30pm Continue BFAA Board Meeting

Vote on Board Officers
Action Items for 2009

5:00pm Adjourn

Contact BFAA for more information including registration fees, registration, locations, etc.

Let Us Pray

Here it is in one more place, a moving prayer.

So, once more, let us pray.




Here's another link to this grand warrior in this righteous cause of Justice.

And, here is the text of the prayer.

If you want a good summary....

If you want a good summary of the issues that Black farmers have faced and are still facing, check out this article in Colorlines by Jessica Hoffman. It's a real story about real people facing real challenges.

Save the date! 11th Annual Black Land Loss Summit, Tillery and Whitakers, North Carolina, February 20-22, 2008. More information to come!

I Was There...

I was there...watching on television, actually two televisions, in a crowded room at the Health Care Authority, reciting the Lord's Prayer with others, marveling at the moment of the Oath of Office, and reveling in what this says about America. This was history in the making. Had been for a couple of years.

I was there...not in person but in spirit. Mall. DC.

I was there...during the days of the Jim Crow South, when the n-word dripped like slime from the lips of myself, friends, and family. When there were separate bathrooms, separate drinking fountains. When there were separate entrances to the small movie theater in town, just off Main. When the Klan was out and about but only in secrecy behind masks. When color of skin clearly defined where one lived, worked, worshipped.

I was there...when a father exclaimed, "No son of mine will ever go to school with no n*****!" When a father's black friend at work sat on the front porch and drank iced tea but never came in the house. When we'd feed the "hobo's" coming up and down the line.

I was there...when we "invited" our black brothers and sisters in Christ to a gospel meeting only to have them sit in the "colored" section of that little country church. That only after much debate.

I was there...when my friends called me "n*****-lover" because a black teacher believed in me and encouraged me to reach my potential. That at a time when he was a man without a people to whom to belong. Ostracized by the white community while he taught at the "white" and now integrated school, but not really fitting any more into his black community. A man driven, so I'm told to drink. He gave me the ingenuity award on several occasions. That I still value.

I was there...when the phone rang and the attorney on the other end of the line wanted me to consult with him on behalf of black farmers.

I was there...in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and North Carolina. Listening to farmers' stories of discrimination.

I was there...when students said, "I want to study with you." Four teams were formed. All making different contributions.

I was there...when the tests and trials came from people who wondered why I'd want to be there. Got flipped off. Only white face for days on end. Tormented by what I saw and heard. Still am. To this day.

I was there...when the USDA and DOJ tormented those people. Tantalizing them with hopes of a settlement and justice.

I was there...at the tomb of fallen warriors. In the rain. Holding hands. Sharing hearts. Molded by a cause. A righteous cause.

I was there...at the Land Loss Summit. Telling USDA officials and others what systemic racism does to people. They seemed surprised. I wasn't surprised that they were surprised.

I was there...today in Tillery. Friend was snowed in. Texts flying back and forth. Sent the words, "thinking of you and those you love and the cause for which you lay down your very life." Said he had a towel to dry his tears. Mine were shed more last night than today. Today was one of awe. No, I wasn't there, but I was "there." Reveling in the moment with him. Curious and amazed at what this inaugural moment must mean for him. Yearning to look at things through his eyes. And her eyes in Florida. And his eyes in Georgia. Their eyes in Dawson. There are a lot of "hims" and "hers" in the world.

I was there...in OKC, only Lincoln Blvd., with a bunch of other people who care about making the world a better place. Their tears, shouts, and emotions showed that they were "there" as well.

I will be there...praying for President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and for the First Children, Malia and Shasha. For wisdom. For courage. Stamina. For things that matter to the Lord and to me. For justice to reign. For God's Kingdom to come and for His will to be done. For the economic crisis to end. For wars to end. For jobs. Equality. An end to ceilings. Racism. Hatred.

A Grandfather's Story on Martin Luther King Day

The day started average enough. We gathered our things, drove a few miles south and east and arrived at their house. The women worked inside on things that had to do with lunch. I've not asked what their conversation was about. On the outside, the men and the grandsons grilled domestic buffalo and venison from the fall's harvest. The wind blew, and we shivered as we talked about gameboys, imaginary things, and today's political scene.

Lunch was quite a spread. A wonderful grandson's prayer, nicely grilled food, and the extras were there. The conversation was lively and interesting as it always is at that house.

Then, we moved from the dining table to the living room, and I was told, "Read this book." I knew I was in trouble. The book, Martin's Big Words, was suddenly in my hand and a lump was in my throat. Grandparents sat on the couch with grandchildren sandwiched between us. Parents observed from an adjacent chair. I turned to the first page, began to read, and then the lump in throat and tears came, and the words, "I can't read this; here, you read it." Their grandmother read the book as the boys looked on. Afterwards, for a few moments, parents and grandparents chatted with the young about the man in the book.

Then, we shifted back to the dining room table for a wonderful experience of "I Have a Dream," complete with paper, crayons, a stapler that wouldn't work correctly, and words and ideas unleashed. For me, the dream was building with the help of God and many others that for which the Chickasaw Nation had brought me here. For my wife, these childrens' grandmother, the dream was about building a Christ-like home. We all completed our dreams project. Ours are hanging on the doors open into this study.

Then, the oldest grandson was dispatched to another room to bring back the speech, not just any speech, but the words of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech from the March on Washington, 1963, words which have stirred me and countless other over the last forty-five years. The young lad sat there in his seat, just to my right, reading the words I've heard many times before. I'd never heard him read them. He's so young. He reads so well, and he's reading well, words spoken that day on the Mall in DC. The tears rolled once more. Afterwards, we talked more about tears and stories and justice, and other things about making the world a better place.

So, what started out to be an amazing day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., became an even more amazing day in one small corner of the universe. We discussed things of substance, told stories of significance, and amazed at the wisdom and creativity of the young.

Yes, Dr. King, I, too, have a dream, that someday my grandchildren's children and "little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers," and that all of God's children, every color dark or light, will know that they are loved and that their dreams can come true as well.

A Day to Remember, With Much to Be Done

Many of my friends are pausing to reflect today on where we are, where we've been, and where we must go as a Church, a People, and a Nation. Some of my friends are simply enjoying a day off. There are many who are choosing to make this a day of service.

These are moving times in which we live. Tomorrow we'll have a new president, a man who does not "look" like me or many of us, but a man who does indeed "look" like many of us. He is our president, and so I encourage us to pray mightily and boldly for him, the new First Lady, and the new First Children.

Here again are snippets of that marvelous and moving speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King. May it remind us of what this day is all about. May it stir us once more to eradicating racism in all of its forms and in all of its places and spaces.

Meet James Joseph

James Joseph has been working on the greening of America for a long, long time. In particular, his wish was to help Black farmers develop various means of making a living, one of which was to reduce the miles from the fields to the dining room.

He's done it and won an award for it.

There's much to say about his work.

Check out this page.

Check out this video.

Here's his web page.

I'd like to meet him some day.

Completely missed it

I completely missed what looks to be an important research piece in the disparities between white farmers and black farmers. Here is a summary paragraph or two from a CRS Report for Congress entitled, "The Pigford Case: USDA Settlement of a Discrimination Suite by Black Farmers," writtern by legislative attorney Stephen R. Vina, and Tadlock Cowan, Analyst in Rural and Regional Development Policy, updated December 6, 2005.

"USDA Commissioned Study. In 1994, the USDA commissioned D.J. Miller & Associates, an Atlanta consulting firm, to analyze the treatment of minorities and women in Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs and payments. The study examined conditions from 1990 to 1995 and looked primarily at crop payments and disaster payment programs and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loans. The final report found that from 1990 to 1995, minority participation in FSA programs was very low and minorities received less than their fair share of USDA money for crop payments, disaster payments, and loans. According to the commissioned study, few appeals were made by minority complainants because of the slowness of the process, the lack of confidence in the decision makers, the lack of knowledge about the rules, and the significant bureaucracy involved in the process. Other findings showed that (a) the largest USDA loans (top 1%) went to corporations (65%) and white male farmers (25%); (b) loans to black males averaged $4,000 (or 25%) less than those given to white males; (c) 97% of disaster payments went to white farmers, while less than l% went to black farmers. The study reported that the reasons for discrepancies in treatment between black and white farmers could not be easily determined due to “gross deficiencies” in USDA data collection and handling (p. 2)."

I am looking for the full report and am attempting to contact one of the authors. If anyone has it, please forward it to me.

Just Wanted to Say Thanks

Sometimes it's a good idea to pause and to say thanks to folks who've blessed your life. This post has been on my heart for some time, so now, here it is. These folks and their pages are over just to the right of this post. I'd encourage you to check them out as you have time.

Thanks to those amazing and gifted students from ACU who formed Social Justice Teams:

Team I: Sara, Laura, Jacob, Josh, Ashley, and Liz because you laid the foundation for all that has followed. That work with stories of women who are both African American and of Indian ancestry and African Americans reared in a white cultural context was excellent.

Team II: Kelsie, Josh, Bryanna, Tim, and David Todd because you walked in places and spaces that no one had walked before. Yes, I know we're still waiting for action from DOJ. Hopefully we'll not have to wait forever. And, your contribution at the conference in King of Prussia, PA was important and timely.

Team III: Michelle, Kimberly, Rebecca, Scott, Sarah, Brian, and Heather, your conceptual work and presentations in larger academic contexts was among the first for this work. Heather, I'd still like to see some of your amazing art work.

Team IV: Daniel, Ruqayyah, and Ty, your work in the area of white privilege which is coming up here in a few days at TAMFT will make a difference.

Abilene Christian University, the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, and its founders, Paul Faulkner and Tom Milholland, along with amazing faculty, staff, and students, gave me the context to grow as a person, professional, and advocate for justice. It's the best MFT program in the country.

Big Country Family Therapy Associates, now owned by a loyal and faithful friend and co-worker, provided a context for serving struggling people. Dave in particular, his wife, and our Sunday morning Bible class provided another context in which to engage justice and the Word of God. They heard my stories, and they told their own. There's not a better therapist in Abilene than the man who's on the fifth floor of the Compass Bank Building, downtown Abilene.

Gary Grant, President, and the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association along with the Concerned Citizens of Tillery, provided the legitimacy that was foundational for engaging black farmers, hearing their stories, and telling them on these pages and in other contexts. Gary is a visionary, a man of principle and passion, and a man who has become a friend in this righteous struggle. Gary's engagement of Justice Team III and IV last year was an amazing thing to watch. His influence extends far beyond North Carolina.

Dionne, senior administrator of the Department of MFT at ACU, and entrepreneur, is a woman of immense talents who gave of her means to support traveling students on their way to a black land loss summit last year. Check her and her efforts out.

Greg Kendall-Ball, staff member in the Graduate School of Theology, ACU, and I have dreamed big dreams. He's a gifted photographer. Only funding is holding us back from making what we think will be an enormous contribution to the telling of the stories of black farmers of our land.

Larry James of Central Dallas Ministries and I crossed paths back in Memphis at the Harding Graduate School of Religion in the early '70s. His heart and his bright mind were evident then and now. His words on his blog are daily reads. He points people to the Kingdom and to justice in this world, two things that cannot be disconnected.

Micah P. Hinson is a young singer/songwriter who has caught the vision of the plight of the black farmer. One who has always had a heart oriented toward the disenfranchised, he and I have collaborated on a song about black farmers. Only funding is keeping this effort from becoming a "proper release," a video, and the making of the video, a venture that will also engage the choir from Tillery, NC. This and the photojournalism effort would be firsts and would tell the story in contexts not utilized before. There's another effort that deserves to be heard, one co-authored musically and lyrically by Ben Clinard, student at ACU/MFT.

John Boyd president of the National Black Farmers Association and I crossed paths in Memphis in January, 2006. His proximity to DC allows him to operate on large political stage. His efforts in spotlighting the plight of the black farmer are important contributions to this righteous cause.

Dr. Spencer Wood, sociology professor at Kansas State University, and I first met via email around some pivotal things he'd written about black land loss. Then, last year at the 10th Annual Black Land Loss Summit, Tillery and Whitakers, NC, we met face to face. He is a good man who is making significant contributions to this cause. He's a leader and I am simply a follower.

Vern Switzer, or "The Watermelon Man," has an amazing story. He, too, was a farmer who was involved in the Pigford Class Action Suit, and while still farming, he has now begun to reach out via books and stories to engage children and farming. He is a great story teller who can keep elementary students' attention for an hour at a time.

There are more. We need more. Racism and discrimination are not going to go away any time soon. Listen to our daily conversations. Tune in to what others are saying, and how folks are treating others, and it's there.

There's much to be done. Who are the activists that you know? What are their links, their contexts, their efforts?

Out with 2008; In with 2009

So, what actually happened with the good people who have been a part of this venture over the last twelve months. Until justice comes in all of its boldness, there is always room to do more; on the other hand, I think we are only called upon to do what we can do in our own small corners of the universe. I think there will forever be this restlessness within me until Jesus comes in all of His glory. Until then, we'll just do the best we can.

In February, we traveled to Tillery and Whitakers, NC to take part in the 10th Annual Black Land Loss Summit Conference sponsored by the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.
At that conference Justice Teams III and IV met movers and shakers in the Black farmer movement as well as some key officials in the USDA, some of whom had their names in the papers not long afterwards. Interesting for us all. Posts from February and March of this year on this blog will give you pictures, memorable moments, and memorable quotes from that amazing trip. That one is etched forever in my head and heart.

In the Spring, Justice Team III members spoke at the annual conference of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. This link summarizes that important presentation.

We continued to collaborate with various advocates around the country, some writing articles and some writing books. All of which, we pray, will be used to tell the story of Black farmers in new places and spaces.

During the Spring, Summer, and Fall, Justice Team III lobbied with a variety of congress persons and presidential candidates on behalf of the Black farmer and family. We mailed letters and sent emails to a lot of offices, and, we even got some responses back.

Justice Team III ventured out a bit into the world of white farmers, interviewing a few and comparing and contrasting the lived experiences of white farmers versus black farmers. Were there differences. No doubt about it.

In the Spring, we recruited Justice Team IV, and those good people began to meet to formulate ideas around the notion of white privilege and how it impacts the lives of people of color, especially Black farmers.

We were able to publish a piece in a refereed journal that chronicles the larger sociopolitical historical background of the Black farmer. That was a labor of love with a competent ACU professor.

In the November, current and former students from Teams II, III and IV presented a poster at the national conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in Memphis, Tennessee. A great visual was created with the assistance of professionals from the Chickasaw Nation as we attempted to compare and contrast what we called "community narratives" of Black farmers and Chickasaw Nation citizens.

In the fall, members of Justice Team IV traveled from Abilene, TX to Ada, OK to prepare for the AAMFT poster presentation. What a grand time that was.

Justice Team IV members are now preparing for a three hour workshop at the 2009 annual conference of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

There were some wonderful times of collaboration between us and two talented musicians and one talented photojournalist. Those labors have yet to come to fruition, but I'll comment more on them in the next post. All we need there is funding to bring those efforts out into the public eye. I think they are worthy efforts because they use the gifts of quality people, telling the stories of Black farmers via photographs and music.

So, is this a time for boasting? Of course not. What in the world would we be boasting about?

Is time a time to evaluate and dream and scheme for 2009. Of course. There's always room for planning, praying, and humbling ourselves before God's mighty hand for His direction and guidance.

That's my prayer for our meager efforts for 2009.