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“Anyone who eats should read this book: You will come to the table with new appreciation for the intersections between race and food . . . powerful.”—Anna Lappé, author of Diet for a Hot Planet
The growing trend of organic farming and homesteading is changing the way the farmer is portrayed in mainstream media, and yet, farmers of color are still largely left out of the picture. The Color of Food seeks to rectify this.
By recognizing the critical issues that lie at the intersection of race and food, this stunning collection of portraits and stories challenges the status quo of agrarian identity. Author, photographer, and biracial farmer Natasha Bowens’ quest to explore her own roots in the soil leads her to unearth a larger story, weaving together the seemingly forgotten history of agriculture for people of color, the issues they face today, and the culture and resilience they bring to food and farming.
The Color of Food teaches us that the food and farm movement is about more than buying local and protecting our soil. It is about preserving culture and community, digging deeply into the places we’ve overlooked, and honoring those who have come before us. Blending storytelling, photography, oral history, and unique insight, these pages remind us that true food sovereignty means a place at the table for everyone.
“Natasha Bowens, through her compelling stories and powerful images of a rainbow of farmers, reminds us that the industrialization of our food system and the oppression of our people—two sides of the same coin—will, if not confronted, sow the seeds of our own destruction.”—Mark Winne, author of Food Town, USA
AWARDS
- GOLD | 2015 Foreword INDIES: Social Sciences
Natasha Bowens is an author, farmer, and political activist whose advocacy focuses on food sovereignty and social issues. As a young biracial woman in today's agricultural movement , she is dedicated to honoring, preserving and amplifying the stories of Black, Native, Asian and Latina farmers and food activists. Her multimedia project The Color of Food evolved from her work exploring the intersection of race and agriculture for Grist magazine, and from her blog Brown.Girl.Farming , where she writes about issues related to racial inequality, food sovereignty, and resilience. Natasha has interviewed and photographed over 65 North American farmers of color; her work has garnered her national media attention, and she has been featured on CNN, The Atlantic , and Colorlines .
Prologue : Sowing Seeds for the Road
Part 1: Brown Girl Farming
Part 2: Rooted in Rights
Portrait 1: Land Is Freedom. Daniel Whitaker, Tillery, North Carolina
Portrait 2: Forced Migration. Alma Maquitico, The Border Agricultural Workers Project
Portrait 3: Lifeblood of the Land. Tyrone Thompson, North Leupp Family Farm
Portrait 4: Home, Land. Gary and Kaye Kozuki, Kozuki Farms
Portrait 5: Black Land Loss. Gary Grant, Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association
Part 3: Seeds of Resilience
Portrait 1: Katrina to Chickens. Yasin & Elaine Muhaimin, Yard Bird Farm
Portrait 2: Transitioning to Sovereignty. Luis Castañeda, SOLAR Farm
Portrait 3: Bucking Dependence. Renard "Azibo" Turner, Vanguard Ranch .
Portrait 4: Surviving as Transplants. Pang Chang, PEC Tropical Farm
Portrait 5: Transforming the South. Cynthia Hayes, Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network
Part 4: Preserving Culture and Community
Portrait 1: Cherokee Seed Bank. Kevin Welch, Center for Cherokee Plants
Portrait 2: Sustaining Community. Jenga Mwendo, Backyard Gardeners Network
Portrait 3: Acequia Culture. Don Bustos, Santa Cruz Farm
Portrait 4: Gullah Seedlings. Sará and Bill Green, Marshview Community Organic Farm
Portrait 5: Taste of Home. Menkir Tamrat, Timeless Harvest
Part 5: Fierce Farming Women
Portrait 1: Alabama Strong. Sandra Simone, Huckleberry Hill Farm
Portrait 2: American Indian Mothers. Beverly Collins-Hall, American Indian Mothers and Three Sisters Farm
Portrait 3: Sisters. Carol Jackson and Joyce Bowman, My Sister's Farm
Portrait 4: A Farm of Her Own. Nelida Martinez, Pure Nelida Farms and Viva Farms
Portrait 5: Defying the Odds. Sulina, Sulina & Bay's Farm
Part 6: Generation Rising
Portrait 1: Tierra Negra. Tahz Walker and Cristina Rivera-Chapman, Tierra Negra Farms
Portrait 2: Breaking Down Borders. Kandace Vallejo, Ivon Diaz, Cristina Dominguez-Eshelman, Manny García
Portrait 3: Growing with Energy. Eugene Cooke, Grow Where You Are
Portrait 4: Kitchen Kwento. Aileen Suzara, Dennis Lee and Kristyn Leach, Namu Gaji and Namu Farm
Portrait 5: Foods Are Our Teachers. Valerie Segrest, Muckleshoot Tribe
Epilogue and Acknowledgements: Coming Home
Collage : We Are Here Too
Appendix
Notes
About the Author