Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farm Cooperative (1967 – 1976)

Introduction

Since the arrival of the first slave ship in 1619, Black people have been deeply connected to American land and agriculture. The African knowledge and culture of enslaved people allowed for growth and development on once uncultivated soil;¹ During Reconstruction (1863-1877) and the latter half of the 19th century, Black leaders believed that increased land ownership would lead to full independence and self-determination within the African-American community.² 

Black farmers, however, have always been exploited by legal structures and government institutions, greatly hindering their ability to own land and gain a substantial income from farming. In the late 19th to early 20th century, a majority of southern Black agrarians were sharecroppers. This legal system severely oppressed Black farmers, as they were immensely indebted to white landowners who continuously exploited them with forceful, demanding labor³

The 20th century saw a continuation of these patterns of oppression and exploitation. To prevent Black land ownership, physical violence towards African-Americans increased. Additionally, a lack of knowledge on finance and real estate in the Black community made it easy for land officials to exploit African-American farmers.⁴

One of the largest contributors to Black land loss in the 20th century was the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the New Deal, a series of organizations and legislation was created to end sharecropping and better support rural Americans. However, as the 20th century progressed, small farmers (both Black and white) became “outdated,” and large white-owned farms were prioritized.⁵ 

This disparity was especially pronounced after the Farm Security Administration (FSA — a branch of the USDA) created county committees responsible for allocating funds to local farmers.⁶ (The majority white) committee members actively discouraged Black farmers from applying for loans, and since fund distribution was locally centralized, there was no oversight or regulation from the federal government.⁷

Black farmers continuously call the USDA “the last plantation” due to a large amount of systemic discrimination they face from the department. In the past 100 years, the number of Black-owned farms has declined by 96% (from around 1,000,000 of all American farms to 35,000).⁸

Throughout the 20th century, numerous organizations were established to protect Black farmers and their land, including the Southern Federation of Cooperatives (1967) and the Land Loss Prevention Project (1982).⁹

Perhaps one of the most impactful, yet relatively unknown, Black agricultural resistance initiatives of the 20th century was The Freedom Farm Cooperative, founded by female political activist Fannie Lou Hamer. 

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Analysis

Fannie Lou Hamer 

Fannie Lou Hamer was born in 1917 in Ruleville, Mississippi.¹⁰ Her involvement with agriculture and food began from a young age. When she was six years old, playing outside on the unpaved streets in her neighborhood, a white man approached her and asked if she would like to pick cotton in exchange for goods at the local store.¹¹ From this moment on, she was trapped into working the fields of the Marlowe Plantation, eventually picking upwards of 300 pounds of cotton per day.¹²

To support their family, particularly in the winter months, Hamer’s mother would clean the homes of white families in direct exchange for milk, butter, and other foods. Once her mother died in 1961, Hamer vowed to work to change the power structure of the state. She said, “I’m determined that my children don’t have to suffer like I suffered and that these old people won’t have to suffer like my mother suffered.”¹³

Hamer began volunteering with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in August 1962. After attempting to register to vote at a nearby courthouse, she was shot at by vigilantes and fired from the Marlowe Plantation (where she worked for 18 years).¹⁴ These incidents only strengthened her political involvement; she worked with fellow activist Ella Baker during SNCC’s first statewide voter registration campaign in Mississippi, and was well-known for her public speaking skills.¹⁵

 

The Freedom Farm Cooperative

Sunflower County (which was 67% African-American at the time, according to the 1960 Census) suffered from high rates of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and malnutrition. Furthermore, the state of Mississippi continuously stripped Black residents of access to social services and state assistance.¹⁶

There were a few efforts to solve the chronic hunger problem in Sunflower County, including a visit from Senate representatives who asked for more USDA food programs in the area.¹⁷ However, these efforts were shut down by Congressman Jamie Whitten, and US farm policy continued to marginalize and oppress minority farmers and the Black community at large.¹⁸

In response to the food insecurity and systemic oppression in her community, Hamer established the Freedom Farm Cooperative (FFC). In much of her political work with SNCC, Hamer emphasized the notion of self-sufficiency, focusing on improving access to healthcare and housing in the Black community.¹⁹ The FFC was yet another mode of achieving self-sufficiency, as she hoped the farm would provide safe housing, employment, agricultural knowledge, and sustainable and nutritious food sources.²⁰

Farm leaders were to be “black and local,” and membership was open to anyone who needed the farm’s services.²¹ Members set aside thirteen acres of community land for growing kale, corn, sweet potatoes, okra, and other greens. Cooperative families and other community members shared these crops, and in 1972, the garden served around 1,600 families.²²

Notably, the farm also had a pig bank (which supplied over 100 families with pigs by 1969), a catfish cooperative, 640 acres of housing developments, and initiatives encouraging members to vote and run for office.²³

In 1960, Mississippi had the lowest median household income in the nation. More specifically, Sunflower County had a median household income of $1790, making it the 55th lowest in the nation.²⁴ Thus, importantly, the FFC provided full- and part-time jobs for the residents of the county, paying each employee ten dollars an hour or with free housing and food.²⁵

Similar to the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program, all of the farm’s initiatives operated with the understanding that hunger is political and a means of oppression. Hamer’s work with SNCC was deeply intertwined with the Freedom Farm. She understood that starvation reduced the amount of Black people registering to vote, as finding food was a greater priority.²⁶ By fulfilling the basic needs of Sunflower County residents, Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farm created an increased sense of political awareness and collective resistance to systemic oppression.²⁷

Conclusion

The farm closed in 1976 after a lack of financial support and an inability to make mortgage payments. Despite its unfortunate downfall, the work of Fannie Lou Hamer and members of the Freedom Farm was highly impactful and essential to narratives on Black food justice. 

There is often a belief that rural America or agriculture is less “sophisticated” than urban areas and developments. However, when discussing the history of Black food justice, it is critical to look beyond the urban movements and deeply consider the work of activists in rural communities — particularly the Black women — as their contributions were just as important in ensuring the survival of the Black community.