Black Farmers in America
by Francis Ficara, Photography and Essay by Juan Williams
Published by The University Press of Kentucky
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Reviewed by Peg Brantley
The picture on page one is of Griffen Todd, a third-generation farmer. He’s standing in a recently plowed field, eyes turned toward the skies. Under his overalls he wears a pristine, starched white shirt. His son, Griffen Jr. will take over the farm.
This eloquent book paints a picture of what is happening today to small, independent, black farmers. Today, unlike the Todd family, most black farmers are the last generation.
Without a doubt, all small farms are being squeezed out by megafarms. But the black farmer, primarily through racism, is being driven out at rates at least ten times higher than their counterparts.
The pictures tell a story—pride, hard work, a connection to the earth. But don’t neglect the essay. “Each photograph articulates the paradox facing black farmers: what looks like slavery is, in fact, the most courageous form of economic self-determination, and what looks like “the simple life” is, in fact, a profoundly complex and risky economic undertaking.”
The last photograph depicts a vine-shrouded structure that once housed a farm family, and the essay ends with “These pictures are timeless and speak to the best virtues of the American heart… , Here is a golden twilight to treasure—the story of black American farmers.
I hope this is a documentary for black farmers of future generations, and not one about the fading of a way of life.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.
Author’s Web site: http://www.JohnFicara.com