The Land Knows no Color
Historical Agriculture Practices of Black Washingtonians.
Deanwood’s Suburban Gardens amusement park. Photo by William Henry Jones, Scurlock Studio (1927). From The New York Public Library
The Forgotten Soil
Washington, DC, has a rich history of African American culture and accomplishments that convey the ingenuity and resilience of an oppressed community. An intricate faucet of this cultural expression is the agricultural heritage passed on from ancestors as far back as Africa. Africans are innate farmers and understand the land and how to cultivate the soil to produce nutritious nourishment. African Americans, having originated from Africa, have a deep and long history of agricultural farming in the United States. The agricultural presence in the United States is primarily due to the skilled hand of African Americans who nurtured these customs in Africa and were one of the main reasons Africans were enslaved and brought to Americas in the early 1600’s.
Because of the lack of access to economic mobility, many Black men and women had to grow their food to feed large families. Most Black Americans were farmers and sharecroppers before and after the Civil War (1861-65). In 1868, in Washington, DC, the Federal Bureau of Freedmen purchased a section of the city in Southeast Anacostia named Barry Farms. It was established to give 40,000 newly freed enslaved refugees of African Americans a place to live, build housing, and have access to 359 acres of lots where vegetables and fruits were grown. Their ability to understand the soil, various crops' growing tendencies, and seasonal changes through astronomy allowed them to survive harsh circumstances with minimum resources. Many Black Washingtonians migrated from the South to northern cities during the great migration between 1910 and 1970 and brought with them this esoteric traditional knowledge and utilization of orally passed-down techniques for agriculture. At one point in American history, it was common for people to have gardens in their front or back yards.
Land ownership was essential for living and surviving off the fruits and vegetables that could be useful in barter and trade. A vital commodity for harmed communities that live by the African creed is "It takes an entire village to raise a child." The ability to grow their own food allowed Black Americans to compensate for low wages, racial injustices, and provided relief for themselves and their communities. The exhibition and documentation of this traditional trade will explore Black Washingtonians' intrinsic value to the land and the sustainable regeneration methods they use in agriculture. Culture and environment are intertwined and shaped by one another while influencing people’s behavior and the ecosystem. The goal of the project is to show the interdisciplinary components of agriculture, urban sustainability and African American culture, history, and traditions.
More to come…
