Black Farmer Documentary Effort: Raising Funds to Tell the Story of Injustice

Introduction

Between 1995 and 1999 roughly 15 black farmers settled discrimination cases with the United States Department of Agriculture out of court. These cases were settled administratively, out of the public eye and have yet to be told. In our opinions, these are truly stories of “David versus Goliath,” and in these instances the Davids won, and they paid an enormous price for the victory.

One story is that of a farmer and his wife in Texas. He had desired to farm full time, and then the opportunity came, but it turned into a nightmare. Over-valued land that did not produce well, loans denied and stalled, harassed by townspeople and USDA officials alike, and surviving an attempt on his life. The back window of his tractor was shot out on one occasion, his dogs were killed, the lock on his gate was glued shut, and a sign left that said, “Nigger go home!” She suffered two heart attacks. She never knew for sure if he was coming home at the end of the day. They still own their land, but they have paid an enormous price.

These stories need to be told.  If you are concerned about power inequities between people of color and whites, these stories will move you. If you are concerned about how institutions of power and privilege exist at the expense of others, I think they will move you. If you want to know about the perils of farming while black in America, you will be moved.

Telling these stories via the documentary is the dream of Shoun and me. We have been working on the documentary since early 2018. We received a grant from a federal agency that has gotten us started.  It will not be nearly enough we have realized. We received some funding in 2018 and are hopeful of receiving the same amount in 2019.

The financial details 

Frankly, we need much more than that. We are asking you to help us raise an additional $10,000. For 2019, these dollars go for the following:  1) honoraria for the interviewees; 2) travel including airfare and taxis; 3) per diem; 4) lodging; 5) office and other miscellaneous expenses; 6) voice-over expert; 7) sound-track expert; and 8) things we haven’t even calculated yet such as distribution, duplicating, and even entering it into film festivals for wider exposure. Our travels will put us in seven states plus the District of Columbia. We will interview farmers and families as well as persons previously or currently employed by the USDA, the Department of Justice, or the Smithsonian.

Here is the link to the fund raising page: 

https://www.facebook.com/donate/395003334636465/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Shoun Hill and Waymon Hinson

My collaborator is Shoun Hill. He lives in NYC and has been involved with the farmer movement since 2008. You can find his photography here:  http://www.shounhill.com/street-photography. You can also find a documentary on Eddie and Dorothy Wise that Shoun did here:  https://vimeo.com/153671213.

My friends may know of my interests. They span the years 1994 to now, consulting on the first cases settled with the USDA, working with the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association in several areas including fund raising, writing two blogs, speaking at state, regional, national, and international conferences on injustice, and publishing two articles in refereed journals.

Incentives

If a “team” contributes a total of $1,000, the leader will receive a DVD and a photograph from Shoun. If a member of a “team” contributes $1,000, that member of the team earns the DVD and the photograph. The team leader will receive them as well. Those team leaders are now identified. Friends of theirs can be on their "teams." 

For a $500 contribution the contributor and/or the team leader qualifies for a DVD of “We Shall Not Be Moved: The Story of the Tillery Resettlement Community,” Tillery, NC with descendants of both the slave owners and the enslaved. The soundtrack contains spirituals performed by “The Joyful Sound,” directed by Gary Grant. Also, a poster of “A Man Called Matthew” will be provided. Matthew Grant actually started the black farmer movement. This is a great addition to anyone’s library on matters related to justice. This is for the team leader whose team collects $500 and/or the person who donates $500.

Any additional funds raised beyond costs will go directly to the black farmer movement and our funding organization, the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association. Contributions to BFAA earmarked for this effort are tax deductible as it is a 501.c.3. Also, each contributor will be listed in the credits of the documentary when it is published.

Premier

We plan to premier the documentary at a land loss summit in Atlanta in November.

Competitions

In order to tell the story as far and as wide as we can, we will enter the film in film festivals around the country. Entry fees will be taken from our proceeds here. If we win any competition, those funds will return to the black farmer movement.