Agraria Journal Winter 2021

32 AGRARIA JOURNAL 2021 The focus of this year’s Black Farming Conference was on the economic impact and power of the cooperative business model, with an emphasis on the power of growing your own food, from seed saving to community gardening and celebrating the contributions of our Black and underrepresented food and farming community. Each presentation not only informed and educated the audience but also inspired and energized those of us who have committed to this mission. In her opening keynote, Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard outlined the history of collective economics in the African American community that has rarely if ever been acknowledged or exposed. The historical and contemporary efforts she discussed gave us a viable blueprint for pursuing sustainable approaches to community development. She also highlighted the immense tenacity and determination demonstrated by these early cooperatives in the face of deliberate attempts to thwart the development of an economic base rooted in the community’s values. The legacy of obstruction lives on today in the social structures that undermine our efforts for self-sufficiency and the egregious attempts to deny us resources and the access we deserve. Cooperative organization as a tool for group empowerment provides a hopeful outlook in a time when we are ruefully challenged by the revitalization of racism and white supremacy. Malik Kenyatta Yakini, activist and educator, shared his extensive knowledge about the impact of racism and white privilege on the food system and his work to eliminate it. As executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, he has worked to bring nutrient rich food to the people of Detroit and has also participated in the international food sovereignty movement. One of the highlights of Brother Yakini’s presentation was the virtual tour of the seven-acre organic farm known as D-Farm. The work being done there is a tribute to this brother and others he has inspired to bring sustenance and health to African Americans, both rural and urban. Their work during the initial outbreak of Covid-19, when Detroit was a major hot spot, provided much needed supplies to the Black community during quarantine. Their collaboration with other organizations committed to this cause provides us with a blueprint for future endeavors. He seamlessly tied food and agricultural apartheid Conference Highlights Power of Cooperatives BY CHERYL WOOD SMITH