Germaine Jenkins
Najmah Thomas put a strong draft of the farmer surveys together, informed by the coalition's meeting discussion in late November.
I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for some equity in farming! Thanks to St. Helena Island/Beaufort regional captain Najmah Thomas (AYE!!!) for putting a strong draft together that was enhanced by a coalition discussion at our last meeting of the year in late November.
Our goal is to access needs and resources of Black farmers to build and advocate for a larger, more sustained SC Black farming population. Data will be shared as a collective at our March 2021 conference and not jeopardize the privacy of those Black farmers who provide information to the coalition.
Are you an active Black farmer willing to contribute to the survey? Then please email us at info@scblackfarmers.com with the name and address of your South Carolina farm and link to an established farm website or social media account(s), and the number of years in the farming industry. You can also leave a message with the same information at (843) 804-9091 to schedule an interview with one of our regional captains or members.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: As I often do in our coalition meetings, I must shout out the work that Black Farmers of New York State did to put together a blueprint that they were willing to share at the BUGS Conference in NYC in Fall 2019. We used that template to form the questions we asked of participants in our 2nd Annual SC Black Farmers Conference. Virtual coalition meetings fueled a local dialogue that led us to where we are today - preparing for this first statewide equity audit. Saying all that to say that in order for us to effectively advocate for active Black/African-American farmers in South Carolina, this survey IS NOT for folks who do not farm here. Once we figure out the process, we will pay it forward with others who want to do the same for their Black farming communities outside of the Palmetto State.
Thanks,
Germaine Jenkins
Coalition Chair