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We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy
From the author of Queen Sugar—now a critically acclaimed series on OWN directed by Ava Duvernay—comes a beautiful exploration and celebration of black farming in America.
In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers’ personal experiences. In their own words, middle aged and elderly black farmers explain why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss. The "Returning Generation"—young farmers, who are building upon the legacy of their ancestors, talk about the challenges they face as they seek to redress issues of food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.
These farmers are joined by other influential voices, including noted historians Analena Hope Hassberg and Pete Daniel, and award-winning author Clyde W. Ford, who considers the arrival of Africans to American shores; and James Beard Award-winning writers and Michael Twitty, reflects on black culinary tradition and its African roots. Poetry and inspirational quotes are woven into these diverse narratives, adding richness and texture, as well as stunning four-color photographs from photographers Alison Gootee and Malcom Williams, and Baszile’s personal collection.
As Baszile reveals, black farming informs crucial aspects of American culture—the family, the way our national identity is bound up with the land, the pull of memory, the healing power of food, and race relations. She reminds us that the land, well-earned and fiercely protected, transcends history and signifies a home that can be tended, tilled, and passed to succeeding generations with pride. We Are Each Other’s Harvest elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, celebrating their perseverance and resilience, while spotlighting the challenges they continue to face. Luminous and eye-opening, this eclectic collection helps people and communities of color today reimagine what it means to be dedicated to the soil.
In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers’ personal experiences. In their own words, middle aged and elderly black farmers explain why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss. The "Returning Generation"—young farmers, who are building upon the legacy of their ancestors, talk about the challenges they face as they seek to redress issues of food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.
These farmers are joined by other influential voices, including noted historians Analena Hope Hassberg and Pete Daniel, and award-winning author Clyde W. Ford, who considers the arrival of Africans to American shores; and James Beard Award-winning writers and Michael Twitty, reflects on black culinary tradition and its African roots. Poetry and inspirational quotes are woven into these diverse narratives, adding richness and texture, as well as stunning four-color photographs from photographers Alison Gootee and Malcom Williams, and Baszile’s personal collection.
As Baszile reveals, black farming informs crucial aspects of American culture—the family, the way our national identity is bound up with the land, the pull of memory, the healing power of food, and race relations. She reminds us that the land, well-earned and fiercely protected, transcends history and signifies a home that can be tended, tilled, and passed to succeeding generations with pride. We Are Each Other’s Harvest elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, celebrating their perseverance and resilience, while spotlighting the challenges they continue to face. Luminous and eye-opening, this eclectic collection helps people and communities of color today reimagine what it means to be dedicated to the soil.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2021
101 people are currently reading
1991 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Baszile
7 books428 followersNatalie has a M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA, and is a graduate of Warren Wilson College’s MFA Program for Writers where she was a Holden Minority Scholar. An early version of Queen Sugar won the Hurston Wright College Writer’s Award, was a co-runner up in the Faulkner Pirate’s Alley Novel-in-Progress competition, and excerpts were published in Cairn and ZYZZYVA. She has had residencies at the Ragdale Foundation where she was awarded the Sylvia Clare Brown fellowship, Virginia Center for the Arts, and Hedgebrook. Her non-fiction work has appeared in The Rumpus.net, Mission at Tenth, and in The Best Women’s Travel Writing Volume 9. She is a former fiction editor at The Cortland Review, and is a member of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Natalie grew up in Southern California and lives in San Francisco with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
February 19, 2023
This is a very important book that needs to be read and shared by everyone. It is full of so much wonderful history and poses thought provoking questions.
January 31, 2022
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs but I also regularly visited the family farm. I confess I was more interested in playing with the kittens in the barn than whatever chores were happening around me. When I think of a farmer, I think of my grandfather, my uncle, my second cousin, and the farmers living around them. All of whom are white. For as much work as I’ve done in interrogating my privilege as a white woman, I hadn’t thought much about the relationship between farming and Black and brown people until the last couple of years.
This anthology furthered my understanding of what farmers of color experience. It’s a collection of poems, essays, interviews, and gorgeous photography. There is so much rich fodder for conversation—I have a long list of questions for my uncle the next time we’re together. Farming is incredibly hard work. There’s no denying it. There’s also no denying Black and brown farmers have an even harder go of things due to systemic racism. The book explores the ripple effect of racist acts, like land loss and the FSA denying loans, and how they impact food justice. While it addresses hard things, there’s much to enjoy here too: farms that have passed down across generations, the betterment of communities, the love of land, and so on. It brought back good memories from time on the farm. I loved getting to hear from farmers across the US and seeing the similarities and differences in their experiences, depending on the region. I was surprised there wasn’t anyone from the Midwest, which felt like a pretty big oversight. It would have been interesting to learn about how Baszile found the various farmers she featured.
Such a beautiful, insightful book that will be a great addition to any coffee table.
CW: racial violence, racism, enslavement, military deployments, discussion of PTSD and suicidal ideation, death of family members
This anthology furthered my understanding of what farmers of color experience. It’s a collection of poems, essays, interviews, and gorgeous photography. There is so much rich fodder for conversation—I have a long list of questions for my uncle the next time we’re together. Farming is incredibly hard work. There’s no denying it. There’s also no denying Black and brown farmers have an even harder go of things due to systemic racism. The book explores the ripple effect of racist acts, like land loss and the FSA denying loans, and how they impact food justice. While it addresses hard things, there’s much to enjoy here too: farms that have passed down across generations, the betterment of communities, the love of land, and so on. It brought back good memories from time on the farm. I loved getting to hear from farmers across the US and seeing the similarities and differences in their experiences, depending on the region. I was surprised there wasn’t anyone from the Midwest, which felt like a pretty big oversight. It would have been interesting to learn about how Baszile found the various farmers she featured.
Such a beautiful, insightful book that will be a great addition to any coffee table.
CW: racial violence, racism, enslavement, military deployments, discussion of PTSD and suicidal ideation, death of family members
April 3, 2021
Gorgeous cover. Great stories, testimonies and poetry in praise of Black farmers and their persistence, as well as their legacy. Not quite a coffee table book though it is formatted like one.
March 30, 2021
“The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”
April 8, 2021
We Are Each Other’s Harvest is quite an anthology of beautiful photographs, stories and poetry about black people’s connection to American land and the crisis of farming in the black community.
We read about voices of the young and old, and the narratives of injustice in farming, land loss, to culinary traditions dating back from the early 1920’s to today.
This book elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, while also celebrating their stories of strength and resilience and what it means to be a part of the American soil.
This is such a gorgeous piece of literature that I am so proud to have read and enjoyed!
We read about voices of the young and old, and the narratives of injustice in farming, land loss, to culinary traditions dating back from the early 1920’s to today.
This book elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, while also celebrating their stories of strength and resilience and what it means to be a part of the American soil.
This is such a gorgeous piece of literature that I am so proud to have read and enjoyed!
April 15, 2021
ya’ll know i normally zoom through books😅 however, with this one i’ve been taking my time & absorbing every word- its so full of a history rarely discussed & honestly, i don’t want it to end. you know, the pervasive narrative in mainstream history is that a majority of Blacks left the South via the Great Migration & just never came back. that’s it. we’re rarely told the stories of those who decided to stay, who went from sharecroppers to farmers, who defended their lands from murderous white mobs, who kept the farms in generations despite the government trying to make them extinct. Black farmers are survivors.
this collection of personal family narratives, essays, poems, and short stories will have your emotions feeling all different types of ways about the success & downfalls of the Black farmer😕
complex emotions personally felt when reading this masterpiece so far:
- happiness
- shock
- anger
- pain
- relief
- joy
- peace
“Black farms had declined by as much as 98% by the end of the 20th century, & it is estimated that Blck farmers cultivate less than half of 1% of the country’s farmland today” (pg. 9). white america has really tried to erase Black farmers from the narrative…. but the key word is “tried” tho🤪 because the Black farmers who never left are making their presence greater known & those returning to the farms are doing their best to help their immediate communities. we are forever #resilient.
it’s been a while that i’ve been able to truly appreciate a book (i am now beginning to understand why a majority of graduate students get so tired of reading😅). a big thank you to #partners @bibliolifestyle @amistatbooks for not only helping me out of my reading slump but also (potentially) guiding me to a new subject to study for in graduate school💛
this collection of personal family narratives, essays, poems, and short stories will have your emotions feeling all different types of ways about the success & downfalls of the Black farmer😕
complex emotions personally felt when reading this masterpiece so far:
- happiness
- shock
- anger
- pain
- relief
- joy
- peace
“Black farms had declined by as much as 98% by the end of the 20th century, & it is estimated that Blck farmers cultivate less than half of 1% of the country’s farmland today” (pg. 9). white america has really tried to erase Black farmers from the narrative…. but the key word is “tried” tho🤪 because the Black farmers who never left are making their presence greater known & those returning to the farms are doing their best to help their immediate communities. we are forever #resilient.
it’s been a while that i’ve been able to truly appreciate a book (i am now beginning to understand why a majority of graduate students get so tired of reading😅). a big thank you to #partners @bibliolifestyle @amistatbooks for not only helping me out of my reading slump but also (potentially) guiding me to a new subject to study for in graduate school💛
April 9, 2021
This book is a love letter to our brothers and sisters growing America. In a profession as old as time, that many look down upon, it has far deeper roots than the days of slavery. The extent of those roots was eye-opening for me! For those of us who grew up on or around the farms, its validation and praise while warning others that returning to an appreciation of nature could be the savior of climate change in restoring biodiversity loss and turning back the clocks, just a little. It explores the generational wealth of the world's most sought-after commodity... And that's land! This book is comprised of poems, essays, excerpts, and narratives of Black farmers from many rich backgrounds and even richer crops! While this was very educational, I didn't find myself bored. It had my undivided attention, perhaps because I have a vested interest. As a grandchild of farmers, this book allowed me a deeper insight into the struggle and business side of the trade, which allows for a much deeper conversation with my elders. I recommend this book to everyone, because I have never seen this story told and it is more than worthy to be heard.
March 4, 2022
I didn’t realize this was an anthology until I began reading it. Each selection of the anthology centers around Black American, Hispanic American and Native Americans relationship to farming in the United States.The selections are in various forms: personal narratives, interviews, poems and book excerpts. There are pictures throughout of the different people, families and farms that contributed to the anthology.
Many of the accounts contained in the anthology are infuriating. One of the recurring narratives in the book is the role the USDA has played and continues to play in systematically attempting to decrease and eliminate Black farmers from the agriculture business.
There are also hopeful and inspiring accounts in the book. There are narratives regarding programs in urban farming, young farmers setting up co-ops and using the power of social media to expand their businesses.
Excellent read!
Many of the accounts contained in the anthology are infuriating. One of the recurring narratives in the book is the role the USDA has played and continues to play in systematically attempting to decrease and eliminate Black farmers from the agriculture business.
There are also hopeful and inspiring accounts in the book. There are narratives regarding programs in urban farming, young farmers setting up co-ops and using the power of social media to expand their businesses.
Excellent read!
December 19, 2024
This was a surprising, amazing compilation of stories and poems of BIPOC farmers and activists getting back and to the land. “You are the result of countless love stories, and unnumbered feats of overcoming“. I loved the mix of stories and areas all over the country that were mentioned. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
Nonfiction collection of BIPOC essays about farming and the land
FYI - I recommend the physical book as the photographs are lovely!
Nonfiction collection of BIPOC essays about farming and the land
FYI - I recommend the physical book as the photographs are lovely!
March 28, 2021
This was a fantastic book! The stories, the photos, and the theme is so important!
I was a bit disappointed in the format of the book. It is very heavy and so hard to keep upright if you’re reading. It feels like a coffee table book with very little photos. I was craving more photos because the imagery was just fantastic! Overall a wonderful book!
I was a bit disappointed in the format of the book. It is very heavy and so hard to keep upright if you’re reading. It feels like a coffee table book with very little photos. I was craving more photos because the imagery was just fantastic! Overall a wonderful book!
February 9, 2025
I didn't realize this was an anthology when I started. It is an exceptional collection of stories about black farmers in America, the deep history of their farming roots, and how difficult it was and continues to be for black farmers in this country. It's a powerful book that really sheds light on an issue that you rarely hear about.
May 5, 2021
We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy
by Natalie Baszile
Published April 6, 2021
<3 SO WELL DONE!
From the author of Queen Sugar—now a critically acclaimed series on OWN directed by Ava Duvernay—comes a beautiful exploration and celebration of black farming in America.
In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people's connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers' personal experiences. In their own words, middle aged and elderly black farmers explain why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss. The "Returning Generation"—young farmers, who are building upon the legacy of their ancestors, talk about the challenges they face as they seek to redress issues of food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.
These farmers are joined by other influential voices, including noted historians Analena Hope Hassberg and Pete Daniel, and award-winning author Clyde W. Ford, who considers the arrival of Africans to American shores; and James Beard Award-winning writers and Michael Twitty, reflects on black culinary tradition and its African roots. Poetry and inspirational quotes are woven into these diverse narratives, adding richness and texture.
As Baszile reveals, black farming informs crucial aspects of American culture—the family, the way our national identity is bound up with the land, the pull of memory, the healing power of food, and race relations. She reminds us that the land, well-earned and fiercely protected, transcends history and signifies a home that can be tended, tilled, and passed to succeeding generations with pride. We Are Each Other's Harvest elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, celebrating their perseverance and resilience, while spotlighting the challenges they continue to face. Luminous and eye-opening, this eclectic collection helps people and communities of color today reimagine what it means to be dedicated to the soil.
by Natalie Baszile
Published April 6, 2021
<3 SO WELL DONE!
From the author of Queen Sugar—now a critically acclaimed series on OWN directed by Ava Duvernay—comes a beautiful exploration and celebration of black farming in America.
In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people's connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers' personal experiences. In their own words, middle aged and elderly black farmers explain why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss. The "Returning Generation"—young farmers, who are building upon the legacy of their ancestors, talk about the challenges they face as they seek to redress issues of food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.
These farmers are joined by other influential voices, including noted historians Analena Hope Hassberg and Pete Daniel, and award-winning author Clyde W. Ford, who considers the arrival of Africans to American shores; and James Beard Award-winning writers and Michael Twitty, reflects on black culinary tradition and its African roots. Poetry and inspirational quotes are woven into these diverse narratives, adding richness and texture.
As Baszile reveals, black farming informs crucial aspects of American culture—the family, the way our national identity is bound up with the land, the pull of memory, the healing power of food, and race relations. She reminds us that the land, well-earned and fiercely protected, transcends history and signifies a home that can be tended, tilled, and passed to succeeding generations with pride. We Are Each Other's Harvest elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, celebrating their perseverance and resilience, while spotlighting the challenges they continue to face. Luminous and eye-opening, this eclectic collection helps people and communities of color today reimagine what it means to be dedicated to the soil.
May 25, 2021
This book is great. It highlights African American farmers, what they’ve endured, their connection and love for the land. It also put into perspective how there is a lack of diversity in the farming/agriculture industry, something not only African Americans, but all minorities should be talking about. The history too, I learned so much. Also, I appreciate the photographs, helps to have a further connection to the story you’re reading. Overall, it does capture the celebration of African American farmers, the land, and legacy.
August 30, 2021
The novel is inspirational and well-written, detailing the history of African-American farmers dating back to a history of farming in Africa. The author explains her discoveries and the importance of agriculture when writing her novel "Queen Sugar.
Her interviews of African-American farmers and their families and stories of the U. S government instituted systemic racism, causing the reduction of African-American farmers.
The author mixes interviewees' photos with poetry to set the readers' minds at ease to enjoy the tales of sharecroppers, Mexican immigrants, all revealing their struggles and yet the hope of everyone's harvest into the future.
The diverse interviews describe the peaceful and calming to help US Military personnel who suffer from post-traumatic disorders. The author's interviews cover every just about every farming agricultural practice, including cattle and even tobacco.
This novel will inspire anyone to become a farmer while connecting everyone's roots of nature's bountiful farming harvest. The reader will discover everyone's responsibility to sustain ourselves by growing our food to maintain healthy lives.
Her interviews of African-American farmers and their families and stories of the U. S government instituted systemic racism, causing the reduction of African-American farmers.
The author mixes interviewees' photos with poetry to set the readers' minds at ease to enjoy the tales of sharecroppers, Mexican immigrants, all revealing their struggles and yet the hope of everyone's harvest into the future.
The diverse interviews describe the peaceful and calming to help US Military personnel who suffer from post-traumatic disorders. The author's interviews cover every just about every farming agricultural practice, including cattle and even tobacco.
This novel will inspire anyone to become a farmer while connecting everyone's roots of nature's bountiful farming harvest. The reader will discover everyone's responsibility to sustain ourselves by growing our food to maintain healthy lives.
Want to read
December 21, 2023[WIP]
SCORE
1 Star = I really didn’t like this book and wouldn’t recommend it!
2 Star = It was an ok book, but it could be a lot better.
3 Star = I feel neutral about this book. It wasn’t bad but also wasn’t great.
4 Star = I enjoyed reading this for the most part.
5 Star = I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it!
Warning before you read the book: explicit language, details of slavery & other violent hate crimes.
I got this book while exploring the library. I don’t know anything about he author nor planned to finish it until after realizing this book is deeply personal to me. I have a love-hate relationship with this book cause it’s has very familiar feel to it, especially cause at least one of the farmers mentioned is an aquanauts of my family, my family is apart of what Baszile calls the “returning generation,” we’ve had mostly positive experiences with the community (both Blacks and Whites) as we’re transitioning into agriculture, I’m very empathetic to the hardships many Black people/my ancestors have gone through, and can see some of the aftermath of slavey & Jim Crow played out today in the USA… but some of the ideology that is being push I don’t fully agree with.
SUMMARY
The main point:
“I hope it shines a light on the systems that continue to rob Black and brown people of their birthright; that it encourages people of color to reclaim our legacy and reinvigorates our commitment to self-determination; that it motivates people to devise solutions to the ongoing challenges farmers face; and that it resets the narrative around labor, inspiring communities of color to reimagine what it means to be connected to the soil” (pg 4).
PROS & CONS
Pros:
- I love how it’s written from many different literary styles and perspectives. I feel it helps gives readers a broader understanding of the subject.
- I love the graphic design of the pages and photography.
- They give great depictions of the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other horrors. One line that illustrates the effects that the emancipation proclamations had was “free by definition only” (pg 8), then they ended in another kind of slavery through “sharecropping and tenant farming, which would ensure that they remained in perpetual debt to plantation owners, banks, and other outside lenders…”
- I like that the book shows multiple cases of how people got their land taken or almost taken. The legal hoops you have to go through so no one can just buy/take your family’s land from you without you knowing is ridiculous (chapter 6 & 16 are good examples). I know cause my family has been trying to make sure no one comes and take our land through legal loopholes.
Cons:
- This book comes off as though it supports Black nationalism (it’s even praises Black nationalist like Malcom X, pg 8). I don’t agree that Black nationalism have a correct view of justice and unity since it usually just creates an us-vs-them mentality which is the same problem but in reverse.
- The Republican Party did play some positive role in the abolishment of slavery and civil rights for Blacks people, which is ironic that this book talks about the right a lot more negatively while praising the left. I thought there would be some discussion of the good, the bad, and the ugly of both parties over the years as in relates to race.
- The book ties being connected to the soil to a vague spirituality that I don’t agree with. So equating the universe (created) to God (Creator) (pg 33). This is not including what other authors/farmers outside of Baszile have said which is a spectrum of Christianity to divination to saying we aren’t all made in one image (if it means what I think it means it’s kind of dehumanizing; imago Dei).
My least favorite quote was “Jesus wasn’t official” (pg 16) cause Jesus is official wether you like it or not.
Not really Pro or Con:
- I do like poetic writing, but I didn’t understand most of it.
CONCLUSION
..
SCORE
1 Star = I really didn’t like this book and wouldn’t recommend it!
2 Star = It was an ok book, but it could be a lot better.
3 Star = I feel neutral about this book. It wasn’t bad but also wasn’t great.
4 Star = I enjoyed reading this for the most part.
5 Star = I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it!
Warning before you read the book: explicit language, details of slavery & other violent hate crimes.
I got this book while exploring the library. I don’t know anything about he author nor planned to finish it until after realizing this book is deeply personal to me. I have a love-hate relationship with this book cause it’s has very familiar feel to it, especially cause at least one of the farmers mentioned is an aquanauts of my family, my family is apart of what Baszile calls the “returning generation,” we’ve had mostly positive experiences with the community (both Blacks and Whites) as we’re transitioning into agriculture, I’m very empathetic to the hardships many Black people/my ancestors have gone through, and can see some of the aftermath of slavey & Jim Crow played out today in the USA… but some of the ideology that is being push I don’t fully agree with.
SUMMARY
The main point:
“I hope it shines a light on the systems that continue to rob Black and brown people of their birthright; that it encourages people of color to reclaim our legacy and reinvigorates our commitment to self-determination; that it motivates people to devise solutions to the ongoing challenges farmers face; and that it resets the narrative around labor, inspiring communities of color to reimagine what it means to be connected to the soil” (pg 4).
PROS & CONS
Pros:
- I love how it’s written from many different literary styles and perspectives. I feel it helps gives readers a broader understanding of the subject.
- I love the graphic design of the pages and photography.
- They give great depictions of the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other horrors. One line that illustrates the effects that the emancipation proclamations had was “free by definition only” (pg 8), then they ended in another kind of slavery through “sharecropping and tenant farming, which would ensure that they remained in perpetual debt to plantation owners, banks, and other outside lenders…”
- I like that the book shows multiple cases of how people got their land taken or almost taken. The legal hoops you have to go through so no one can just buy/take your family’s land from you without you knowing is ridiculous (chapter 6 & 16 are good examples). I know cause my family has been trying to make sure no one comes and take our land through legal loopholes.
Cons:
- This book comes off as though it supports Black nationalism (it’s even praises Black nationalist like Malcom X, pg 8). I don’t agree that Black nationalism have a correct view of justice and unity since it usually just creates an us-vs-them mentality which is the same problem but in reverse.
- The Republican Party did play some positive role in the abolishment of slavery and civil rights for Blacks people, which is ironic that this book talks about the right a lot more negatively while praising the left. I thought there would be some discussion of the good, the bad, and the ugly of both parties over the years as in relates to race.
- The book ties being connected to the soil to a vague spirituality that I don’t agree with. So equating the universe (created) to God (Creator) (pg 33). This is not including what other authors/farmers outside of Baszile have said which is a spectrum of Christianity to divination to saying we aren’t all made in one image (if it means what I think it means it’s kind of dehumanizing; imago Dei).
My least favorite quote was “Jesus wasn’t official” (pg 16) cause Jesus is official wether you like it or not.
Not really Pro or Con:
- I do like poetic writing, but I didn’t understand most of it.
CONCLUSION
..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2023
I would never have expected a book written about farming to be such a page turner, but Natalie Baszile’s research, writing and composition of stories surrounding black and brown farmers living and working off the land right now, is an absolute gem that I encourage you to add to your TBR.
I grew up in Iowa. My father’s family were farmers and I have cousins who farm to this day, but I have always identified as a “city girl” though I didn’t live in a real city until I attended college. I admit that when farming is being discussed my imagination drifts towards a picture of older white men standing by old John Deere tractors and wearing overalls. Baszile breaks that preconceived notion open and offers a colorful array of characters and personalities in both farmers and farms.
There is power in expanding our imagination and I am so grateful to have the stories of the Armstrongs, Odis Hill, Willie Earl Nelson Sr. and son, and so many others to expand my own knowledge and understanding. These stories of men and women living in relationship to land and produce are deeply intentional and interspersed with poetry, art and the historical circumstances Black farmers have had to confront time and time again in the American system.
Baszile doesn’t shy away from the grit and agony of farming, but speaks truthfully with a light shining on the hope that is carried by each of these farmers as they enter into their next chapter. This book is a gem that I am so grateful was recommended to me and I am utterly humbled to have these stories in my life.
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I grew up in Iowa. My father’s family were farmers and I have cousins who farm to this day, but I have always identified as a “city girl” though I didn’t live in a real city until I attended college. I admit that when farming is being discussed my imagination drifts towards a picture of older white men standing by old John Deere tractors and wearing overalls. Baszile breaks that preconceived notion open and offers a colorful array of characters and personalities in both farmers and farms.
There is power in expanding our imagination and I am so grateful to have the stories of the Armstrongs, Odis Hill, Willie Earl Nelson Sr. and son, and so many others to expand my own knowledge and understanding. These stories of men and women living in relationship to land and produce are deeply intentional and interspersed with poetry, art and the historical circumstances Black farmers have had to confront time and time again in the American system.
Baszile doesn’t shy away from the grit and agony of farming, but speaks truthfully with a light shining on the hope that is carried by each of these farmers as they enter into their next chapter. This book is a gem that I am so grateful was recommended to me and I am utterly humbled to have these stories in my life.
Want more book content? Follow me at thebookwar.com
July 13, 2025
I was hoping to like this book more than I actually did. This is a part picture book, part story book, part history book, part poetry book about the African-American's experiences with farming in the United States. I did like the stories and the various experiences that people had; I loved learning about their history and their farms and how they managed to make things work. The history parts were informative and enlightening; I had no idea that Jim Crow permeated the depths of the halls of the USDA.
Telling the reader one good time I think would have sufficed, but this is repeated several times throughout the course of the book. And I do not mean to detract from any one person's experiences, but it did get very tiresome reading about the same discouraging deep racism in the government. I know that is the point: to convey to the reader how tiring it must have been to the farmer living this life to have to stop their work and go into town to see the USDA person about the loan for the seeds, only to be told no, not this month. I'm sure that is the reason why the author kept repeating this part of the story over and over again, but still, it got very monotonous to this reader. I cannot give this book more than 3 stars because of this.
Telling the reader one good time I think would have sufficed, but this is repeated several times throughout the course of the book. And I do not mean to detract from any one person's experiences, but it did get very tiresome reading about the same discouraging deep racism in the government. I know that is the point: to convey to the reader how tiring it must have been to the farmer living this life to have to stop their work and go into town to see the USDA person about the loan for the seeds, only to be told no, not this month. I'm sure that is the reason why the author kept repeating this part of the story over and over again, but still, it got very monotonous to this reader. I cannot give this book more than 3 stars because of this.
November 25, 2021
I finished reading Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement by Monica M. White. This book was such a great and easy read. The main theme in this book was collective agency and community resilience. Freedom Farmers puts forth a narrative about African Americans and our connection with agriculture as a means to create resilient communities. Freedom Farmers articulates three main points throughout the book; economic autonomy, prefigurative politics, and commons as praxis. Monica M. White provides acheivements made by Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, W.E.B. Du Bois, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others to emphasize the importance of pooling resources, forming cooperatives and educational institutions, providing health care in a time where communities needed to rely on each other to thrive. In a contemporary context, Freedom Farmers discusses Detroit Black Community Food Security Network to highlight what is currently being done in the theme of collective agency and community resilience. This book served as a foundational introduction on community resilience, capacity building, and the importance of creating collective agency.
May 23, 2021
Very well written, engaging, enlightening, educational collection of essays & interviews celebrating the history, expertise, tenacity, joy, struggles & dedication of the African American farming experience in the USA. Details the complicity of various agencies of the U.S. Government, states & municipalities in land theft, denial of financial aid, and disparate treatment of Black farmers, & other marginalized people.
Opens by quoting Gwendolyn Brooks' "We are each others harvest" from her tribute to Paul Robeson. "We are each others harvest; we are each others business; we are each others magnitude and bond."
Other poems, used to highlight different sections of the collection, include "How to Make Rain" from Young's Most Way Home; and the collected poems of Lucille Clifton.
Books referenced: Pete Daniel's Dispossession: Discrimination against African American Farmers in the age of Civil Rights; Breaking the Land: The Transformation of Cotton, Tobacco & Rice culture since 1880.
George Washington Carver. Bulletin of the Tuskegee Agricultural Experiment Station (1898-1843)
Opens by quoting Gwendolyn Brooks' "We are each others harvest" from her tribute to Paul Robeson. "We are each others harvest; we are each others business; we are each others magnitude and bond."
Other poems, used to highlight different sections of the collection, include "How to Make Rain" from Young's Most Way Home; and the collected poems of Lucille Clifton.
Books referenced: Pete Daniel's Dispossession: Discrimination against African American Farmers in the age of Civil Rights; Breaking the Land: The Transformation of Cotton, Tobacco & Rice culture since 1880.
George Washington Carver. Bulletin of the Tuskegee Agricultural Experiment Station (1898-1843)
March 26, 2022
I added a new book tag: anthology! One of my goals is to read more varied than I have in the past. This checks those boxes. It is an anthology which I never would have picked up because it is non-fiction AND about farming. I DID pick it up, though, because it was recommended reading about race in America. And I learned some things. No regrets.
The book includes stories of farmers, both young and old, and their stories what led them to farming and what keeps them in this business. I know nothing about farming or about the USDA but after reading this book, my world is a bit more broadened. And guess what: racism is alive and well in how policy is implemented in the US. Sigh. So much work to be done. Let's get to it.
This is a beautifully bound and edited book. Gorgeous photographs, thick lush paper: the works. It's also huge and a wee-bit intimidating but I managed to read a couple of chapters a day. If I got to a poem, I knew I was at a stopping point. The poems acted as nice palette cleansers between each essay.
The book includes stories of farmers, both young and old, and their stories what led them to farming and what keeps them in this business. I know nothing about farming or about the USDA but after reading this book, my world is a bit more broadened. And guess what: racism is alive and well in how policy is implemented in the US. Sigh. So much work to be done. Let's get to it.
This is a beautifully bound and edited book. Gorgeous photographs, thick lush paper: the works. It's also huge and a wee-bit intimidating but I managed to read a couple of chapters a day. If I got to a poem, I knew I was at a stopping point. The poems acted as nice palette cleansers between each essay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2022
Natalie visiting her grandfather, remembers bad produce in black stores. She is compelled after her Berkeley graduation reignited passion about farmers made her write Queen Sugar “black land matters”.
Land stewardship, climate change, food justice all not given freely to black farmers.
Toni Morrison - Song of Solomon passage mentioned in the book as well as
She mentions Juneteenth.
Chapter 7 - how she came upon the idea for Queen Sugar by a friend mentioning her friend Stephanie had a sugar plantation. Rene answer questions writing book
Chapter 8/11 by another author women from Africa created the first irrigation systems and carried seeds into their hair and brought it from Africa when sold/ stolen.
USDA was not actively providing assistance when it comes to black farmers - no programs.
A lot of stories and it would be a good agricultural text book.
Land stewardship, climate change, food justice all not given freely to black farmers.
Toni Morrison - Song of Solomon passage mentioned in the book as well as
She mentions Juneteenth.
Chapter 7 - how she came upon the idea for Queen Sugar by a friend mentioning her friend Stephanie had a sugar plantation. Rene answer questions writing book
Chapter 8/11 by another author women from Africa created the first irrigation systems and carried seeds into their hair and brought it from Africa when sold/ stolen.
USDA was not actively providing assistance when it comes to black farmers - no programs.
A lot of stories and it would be a good agricultural text book.
May 29, 2024
This book is fantastic! It took me awhile to work my way through it. It's not difficult to read, but each chapter is a different person's story, so it's easy to read one or two chapters and put aside, but I finally just buckled down and finished it. I would love to see this book in high school libraries, as well as in history and agricultural education classrooms. The common theme throughout the stories is that black farmers have faced, and still do face, discrimination, especially from the government loan programs, that has caused the number of African American farmers to be a tiny percentage of what it once was in America. The fortitude and tenacity displayed in these farmers' stories is incredible and inspiring. I recommend that everyone read this book. It's not only for those with an interest in agriculture. The implications of these stories reaches every part of our lives.
May 6, 2021
WE ARE EACH OTHER’S HARVEST is a stunning collection of poems, quotes, photographs, stories and interviews that explore the history of Black farmers and ranchers in America. Baszile examines repression and land loss over the years due to lack of financial skills, problems with banks, the USDA or the FSA. Black farmers share how the strenuous work and collaboration that comes with being a successful farmer allowed them to become more self-aware, connect with their roots and offered them meaningful work. Rich with history, this eye-opening and captivating anthology is a magnificent celebration of the spirit and resilience of Black farmers across the US.
Thank you so much @amistadbooks for sharing this beautiful book with me!
Thank you so much @amistadbooks for sharing this beautiful book with me!
June 7, 2021
Natalie Baszile has put together a stunning and moving book compiled of essays, poems, and photographs celebrating African American farmers, their legacy and connection to the land. This is a beautiful to book to browse through, and can be read a little at a time, rather like enjoying a leisurely meal, or digesting information you had not really thought about. The people who once grew the majority of food in America, now have access to the poorest quality food. That is one of the point s in the opening of the book. As you read, this becomes increasingly clear. Natalie Baszile has established the Black Harvest Fund at the San Francisco Foundation. Some of the proceeds from this book are being donated to this fund.
July 5, 2021
Longing for primary source documents to help me trace my ancestors by name, I may never feel completely whole. I have few clues I’ve gathered from census records and even fewer stories from my family members. Yet, I feel so inspired and intrigued after reading this book! The stories Baszile shares of such beautiful and persistence families, help me to picture different possibilities of what my own family’s experience might have been. These stories were so intimate and rich that I was so sad when I finished it! I absolutely loved how the stories came from so many different places and were also accompanied by pictures and poems. Ive struggled keeping plants alive but now, I’m more committed than ever and look to purchasing my piece of land and honor those who’ve come before me!
August 22, 2021
"When people think of farmers, they think, overwhelmingly, about white people. A lot of the farming techniques that we now use in sustainable farming and organic farming are things that indigenous people have been doing on this continent and all around the world for generations." Before reading this book, the word "farmer" evoked the image of a white person in my mind. It won't anymore. While not all of the essays are equally compelling, as a whole, combined with some amazing photography, the book creates an enthralling portrait of the relationship between BIPOC and land, specifically the farming of land. This book honors the profession of farming as well as those who have been marginalized while working in it.
May 10, 2021
I am genealogist and the descendant of a Mississippi farmer who was granted land under the Homestead Act of 1866. I picked up this book as part of my personal interest in the history of Black farmers. The book had me from the start when the author touched on the connection of Africans and African Americans to the land.
The presentation is historical research and individual stories about African American farmers -- with photos, poems and essays. Because of the format, I skipped around the chapters and went back and forth reading the notes section. It gave me the insight I was looking for with plenty of other research notes to further look into.
The presentation is historical research and individual stories about African American farmers -- with photos, poems and essays. Because of the format, I skipped around the chapters and went back and forth reading the notes section. It gave me the insight I was looking for with plenty of other research notes to further look into.
April 23, 2021
Awesome compilation of the plights, struggles of determined and driven black farmers. Still hurts to hear the consistent theme of USDA barriers, mistreatment and inequities , but inspires me to continue this journey to be a voice for the underserved farmer!! Images, quotes, poems are perfect touch. I feel as if I’m there with Natalie meeting each farmer and couldn’t wait to see which locale the next chapter would lead me to. Love the cover photo of the Penniman sisters! Great to see some farmers I know and even better to be introduced to a few I haven’t yet met. Great job Natalie!
April 29, 2025
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Along with being a manifesto and a chronicle of African American land stewardship, it's also a highly detailed history of the ways in which black people in the US have been systematically discriminated against, belittled, led astray, and sometimes downright swindled by the very government agencies that were specifically created with the intention to help farmers. A highly illuminating, blood-boiling, and ultimately beautiful book filled with resilience and belief in the importance of maintaining a connection to the land.
August 5, 2021
Excellent anthology combining broader history, personal profiles, poetry, and photography to paint a picture of the experience of Black farmers in America. It was equally eye-opening to learn about the widespread insitutional discrimination that is still perpetrated to this day by the government as it was to get a peek into the daily lives and motiviations of farmers who have chosen to reclaim their connection to the land.
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