In the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, getting out in a canoe to harvest manoomin, or wild rice (Zizania palustris), is a political assertion of indigenous food sovereignty for Anishinaabe people.
Mumbet’s Freedom Farm is a Black and Brown-led cooperative farm located at the base of a mountain in Sheffield, Massachusetts. In this episode I speak with worker-owner DeeArah Wright about their journey from the city towards collective rural land stewardship.
Rev. Wendell Paris of Jackson, Mississippi discusses the history of co-op development and the struggle for voting rights among Black Americans in the Southern US.
During this 90-minute webinar, we will talk about the history of Black farmer cooperatives, the role they have played in food and economic sovereignty, the challenges they face in the modern economy, and opportunities for growth.