AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 12

Culture
With community at the center of the work
being done at FarmerJawn, Christa is embracing
this next phase of the brand and inviting community
members to be part of it. To celebrate the brand’s
new acreage, FarmerJawn launched with a
community event on Earth Day in West Chester. Activities
included hot air balloon rides, custom t-shirt
printmaking, storytelling, group planting, a land
blessing, and an opportunity to learn the history
of the Lenape land that the farm sits upon. Seeing
the beauty of the connection between the land and
the people who care for it, and showing it clearly to
the community that it supports, Christa is one of a
growing number of Black farmers working to reinvigorate
the spirit of Black farming culture, reclaiming
the work our people have done for centuries,
while laying a foundation for generations to come.
Learn more about FarmerJawn's initiatives at Farmer-
JawnPhilly.com.
More African American Farmers to Follow
Instagram is our favorite source for
finding and following Black farmers. Here are
just a few of our favorites.
@farmerkenofficial Ken Sparks, aka
Farmer Ken, is an organic farmer, gardening
consultant, and educator. We love seeing the
fruit, herbs, vegetables, and flowers that he
grows on his farm. You can catch him on the
weekends at the Prosperity Market, a Black
farmers market in Los Angeles.
@greenheffafarm A certified B corporation
located in North Carolina, Green
Heffa Farms is led by Clarence “Cee” Stanley.
Farmer Cee’s organic farm produces loose
leaf herbal teas and single source herbs.
Featuring packaging with rich, vibrant
patterns, an homage to Gee’s Bend Quilts,
Green Heffa Farms offers a range of classic
blends, including RICH AUNTEA for beautifying,
a SANITEA blend for calming, and the
BLACKITEA blend for energizing.
@smithpoultry Kyle Smith owns a
farm in Williamstown, NJ, where he raises
chickens, hogs, and turkey. Smith Poultry
supplies high-quality meats and vegetables
from their farm to the South Jersey and Philadelphia
community. Continuing the legacy
of whole-hog cooking, Kyle can also be found
manning a pit and smoking a whole pig on
the barbecue around town. On his website
you can order eggs from the farm, his house
scrapple, and put a deposit down for a whole
hog barbecue.
Resources for African American Farmers
The Northeast Farmers of Color Network
(NEFOC Network) is an informal alliance of
Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian farmers
making their lives on land in the country’s
Northeast region. The organization focuses
on breaking the isolation of farmers of color
in the Northeast by building relationships,
sharing skills and resources, building collaborative
projects and initiatives, and coordinating
policy demands, including reparations
for Black-Indigenous-POC farmers and land
stewards.
Black Farmers’ Network (BFN) is a site for
rural, African American farmers. The network
also documents the agribusiness successes of
farmers who have had to confront a discriminatory
history for centuries in America’s Black
Belt Region. BFN provides marketing and
branding strategies to help these rural enterprises
grow and sustain.
The National Black Farmers Association
is a non-profit organization representing
African American farmers and their
families in the United States. The association
serves tens of thousands of members
nationwide. AC
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