Black History Bootcamp. S6. Day 4
Day 4
“You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.”
- Fannie Lou Hamer
The Address: 40 Acres, Ruleville, Mississippi
The Story: Raise your hand if you knew that Fannie Lou Hamer started a 600- Acre Farm to feed The People!!
Shut the front door!!! What!
For real? For real.
Fannie was trying to save actual lives up in here. Today, we finna learn y’all.
But before we travel back in history to Ruleville, Mississippi, let’s start here…
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Where did the food come from? Is it organic or GMO? Was it grown on US soil? Did a Black farmer’s hands touch it? Let’s talk about it. For Fannie.
We already know that YOU know that Fannie Lou Hamer sang This Little Light of Mine. You can see in your head the Fannie Lou who put her purse on the table at the DNC as she talked about being beaten for registering Black voters across Mississippi.
But Farmer Fannie!?
Let’s turnip (you see what I did there??)!
Ha.
I can’t wait to tell you about her radical work that never gets discussed. Fannie Lou Hamer understood that the most intractable problem facing people in the American South was poverty. She said, “I know what the pain of hunger is all about.”
So, with a $10,000 grant, she bought 40 acres of land and created Freedom Farm Cooperative. When it succeeded, she bought an additional 640 acres.
Somebody make me a T-shirt that says “Fannie Fed the People!”
Today, her farm is no longer there.
Let’s talk about why…
In her honor, we pledge to eat better and do better. (Shoot, someone may quit their job, buy some overalls, and move to Ruleville. Hope so.)
Let’s walk…
Meet us in the Streets: Grab your earbuds, put on your sneakers, and join co-founders Morgan and Vanessa for Black History Bootcamp, a walking podcast powered by GirlTrek. We can’t wait to talk…
Catch up on Spotify podcasts.
Episodes are available after 48 hours.
The Neighborhood Call to Action
Listen: Fannie Lou Hamer's, “Until I am Free, You Are Not Free Either,” speech delivered at the University of Wisconsin, Madison: https://youtu.be/S0Kk3s12ZYg
Watch: This real interview featuring the beautiful voice and photos of Fannie and her daughter talking about the farm:https://whyy.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arf22flha-soc-freedomfarm/freedom-farm-cooperative-fannie-lou-hamers-america/.
Eat Better: Support a local co-op. Buy a share of the produce and meat and have it delivered to your home. Easy. Here’s a directory:http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.html
Buy Black: Here's a list of Black-owned farms and ranches:https://www.arkrepublic.com/2021/05/29/the-ultimate-list-of-black-farmers/
Read: One of Leah Penniman’s books Farming While Black or, her new one, Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists or take a class with her at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/.
Donate: Give money or volunteer hours at the Fanny Lou Hamer Cancer Foundation: https://www.flhcf.com
Garden: Join GirlTrek’s Green Revolution by becoming a “GirlTrek Gardner” here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Girltrekgardeners/?ref=share or contact christina@girltrek.org
Do you live in or around Mississippi? Start a Crew in your neighborhood. Download our Field Guide and email Regional Coach, Monica at south@girltrek.org
If you want to join the 21-Day Bootcamp and continue to receive these emails, click here. If it is giving you life, forward this and invite a friend.