2021 SC Black Farmers Conference

Hosted by the SC Black Farmers Coalition, this year’s conference theme “Drive into Justice” alludes to an era when Black people were excluded from many movie theaters in the 1950s, a time period where we also saw the narrowest economic chasm between Black and white people in the South. Open-air theatres or ‘drive-ins' allowed more freedom to their patrons. Black resilience and wealth have been crippled by racism.

Despite mistreatment and land theft, we gather at a point in history when a Justice for Black Farmers Act is being introduced in Congress. We will address radical ways that we can sustain our foodways, reflecting and acting to protect our farms and inspire a new generation of growers and food entrepreneurs.

Our keynote speakers are Reverend Heber Brown and Sha’Von Terrell of the Black Church Food Security Network based in Baltimore, MD with a network stretching down the southern coast. They will share how the Black church can support farmers as food sovereignty practitioners.

Along with the Keynote, we are working with State Legislators to share the results and action steps from our Black Farmer Equity Audit. Finally, we will use farmer surveys to offer a series of courses to strengthen our farms networks throughout the state.