Black Farmers
TRANSART'S PINKSTER also celebrates the Black agricultural roots of Ulster County. This year we are proud to feature The Ever Growing Family Farm, operated by Gambia native Nfamara Badjie, who grows rice in the Hudson Valley using centuries-old, West African techniques of the Jola people. And, we salute Abundance Farms, which is operated by Innocence Powell. Be sure to visit her tent on Pinkster Sunday, at Academy Green Park.
Black farmers have a long history in New York State, dating back to 1640 when the Dutch ceded sections of Manhattan stolen from the Lenape people to formerly enslaved Black people to farm. By 1910, despite the legacy of slavery and racist policies, 295 Black farmers lived and worked in New York State. Over the next 100 years, the number of Black New Yorkers increased by 2,000% to 3,073,800. Yet the number of Black New York farmers declined from 295 to 139, a 52% decrease. Learn more at Black Farmers United NYS.