Photo/Curtis Guynn
Black farmers are at the core of the movement: if a people can’t feed themselves, they certainly can’t fight. Black people have no hope for true independence and self determination, without Black farmers. On yesterday, over 1,000 people came out to support Black farmers in Raleigh. Customers waiting in long lines to show their support and make the radical statement that Black farmers, too, matter.
As WBAL reported, this is the first time the Black Farmers’ Market took place in Raleigh. The event had taken place for five consecutive years in Durham, before. While the setting differed slightly Sunday, what was dramatically different was attendance and the general level of enthusiasm shown by patrons. Over 1,000 people attended the Market, a number that is staggering. Those patrons lined up to support, according to the Black Farmers’ Market map, 26 local Black owned businesses. Those businesses were selling everything from fresh veggies and fruits, to lemonade and skin care.
More than anything, the Black Farmer’s Market shows the power and simplicity of this movement. Power is over 1,000 people recycling thousands of dollars into Black businesses and Black farmers, in particular: on a regular Sunday. Simplicity is Black people, without the need of a fancy event, retail space or even a building, organizing to come together and support their own businesses. The challenge now is to translate successful events, like the one that just happened in Raleigh, into daily occurrences. When this happens, Black unemployment will quickly disappear and Black wealth will be the rule and not the exception.
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