Farming as Healing with the Black Farmers Collective

Agriculture is a fraught industry for descendants of enslaved people. Yes Farm is working to move beyond that trauma.

The relationship between Black people and agriculture in the United States has long been dominated by one obvious and ominous image: Black Americans working the land as enslaved people. 

But a different image is being formed at Yes Farm in Seattle’s Yesler Terrace neighborhood. There, between a construction site and the freeway, the Black Farmers Collective is working to change Black people’s relationship with land and farming. 

For this episode of the Out & Back podcast, host Alison Mariella Désir tours the farm and speaks with director Ray Williams and farm manager Hannah Wilson about their efforts to promote self-determination and liberation through farming. 

Growing food is hard work, they tell us, but it is a skill and a rare opportunity to know exactly where your food comes from.

Before listening, we suggest you watch the episode about Yes Farm here.

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Credits

Host: Alison Mariella Désir

Producer: Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

Audio production: Bryce Adolphson, Sarah Hall

Audio support: Resti Bagcal, Seth Halleran