Black History Month Letter to Community
Community Work Day at Big Dream Farm, 2024
Black History Month is a time to honor our ancestors – the visionaries, freedom fighters, and healers who laid the groundwork for a just and thriving future.
Yet, 2025 has begun with unprecedented setbacks in the struggle for justice and equity. BIPOC people, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, Veterans, and more, are being targeted and face upcoming challenges in the ongoing fight for systemic and collective liberation.
More than ever, we must remember that we have power in our hands. The work we do within our communities is going to impact those around us and must be continued with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment if we want change.
“This Black History Month started with many community-based organizations losing access to funding, directly impacting the communities they serve. Now is the time to stand together, take action, and ensure our people can continue to thrive. ”
At Black Farmer Fund, our mission is to have an equitable and just food system for all. To accomplish this, we plan to fund over 75 Black-owned businesses throughout the Northeast over the next 10 years, an impact that will bring us much closer to closing the racial wealth gap and ensuring all can access healthy and culturally relevant food.
Rather than be distracted by the deluge of policy changes and disruption of funding that continues to unfold daily, we plan to focus on the impact that community wealth-building can have on the betterment of the Black food system and all the communities that rely on that system.
Black Farmer Fund was created to support Black farmers and food entrepreneurs in the US Northeast who, despite their great need for funding, have been denied the resources they are due, time and time again.
From Reconstruction, to the reversal of many crucial aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act intended to support Black Farmers, history has shown us that significant steps toward progress for Black farmers will be systematically blocked by oppressive systems that hope to profit from inequity.
Today is no different. It is clear that we cannot trust the government and its institutions such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support Black farming communities. Institutions like the USDA have historically served as gatekeepers to resources that could have nurtured and supported Black farmers and their communities. What we are seeing today is a continuance of gatekeeping and hoarding wealth and wellness for a select few.
This Black History Month started with many community-based organizations losing access to funding, directly impacting the communities they serve. Now is the time to stand together, take action, and ensure our people can continue to thrive.
Our ancestors laid the groundwork for this fight, and we plan to continue it.
