For MLK Day: Reflections on Beloved Community

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this week, I want to share what a beloved community means to me and how it relates to my work with the Fair Farms campaign. The suggestion to write this blog came from a conversation I had with Taffy Gwitira, one of our Farmer Advisory Council members. …

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A Brief History of Black Land Ownership in the U.S.

Black land loss – the loss of land ownership and rights – dates back to the mid-19th century, where in some states Black Americans were prohibited from owning land after the Civil War ended. Meanwhile, the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves but did not guarantee a right to land ownership. While the “40 acres and a …

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“Parting Thought” by Fred Tutman, Patuxent Riverkeeper

Written by Fred Tutman, Patuxent Riverkeeper Originally published in the “Parting Thought” column of A.T. Journeys Magazine AS THE PANDEMIC TOOK HOLD OF THE WORLD, group hikes and travel to hiking destinations became less safe and so the call of the trails increasingly uncertain. But the urge to get outside transformed into a constant craving. …

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Take Action: Support Urban Agriculture in Maryland

Take Action to establish the Urban Agriculture Grant Program (SB673/HB269)! Sponsored by Sen. Gallion and Del. Wells, this meaningful bill would establish an Urban Agriculture Grant Program and Fund housed within the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). It will be up to MDA to establish and define the program, but the bill is a necessary first …

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A Short History of Black Cooperatives in the U.S.

Written by Nicole Oveisi, Fair Farms Intern Throughout American history, Black Americans have been denied access to the resources needed to prosper and have been denied equal protection under governing laws and regulations. As a response to a racist system and in an effort to survive, many Black communities used cooperative business models not only …

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