Characteristics of Black and African American Farmers in Minnesota

The story of Black farming in the U.S. is one of dramatic decline. Consecutive decades of disenfranchisement from deed theft to being denied subsidies and loans offered to white farmers have pushed Black farming to the margins. When Du Bois made his original “data portraits” Black farming and farm industry work accounted for the largest portion of occupations and land ownership for Black families. The 1990 Farm Bill attempted to address this historical discrimination by including grants and other resources for “minority farmers”. In 2022 the Biden Administration authorized $2 billion in payments to Black farmers intended to address historical discrimination by USDA lending programs. This came as an answer to still unresolved issues in the Pigman v. Glickman settlement, a class action lawsuit against the USDA by Black farmers which was first settled in 1999. These efforts made an impact on some Black farmers, but were poorly implemented leaving many farmers with denied claims and navigating a difficult administrative process. 

Our conversations with local artist and activist Whitney Terrill explored her activism and advocacy for Black and minority farmers and her own experience with being a farmer. This led to considering the various characteristics of Black farmers in the state to get some sense of where they are and what they produce. The image is a typology of Du Bois’s original graphs used to present information on other topics. The vivid color and geometric work of Du Bois is captured and appropriated to make visible what Black farming in Minnesota looks like.