9 - Developing Black Urban Agrarianism

Summary

As I sit in my chair, staring at the screen, listening to my research participant answer a question about his food justice work experience, he states a memorable metaphor: “Superman is not coming to save us because we have too much kryptonite.” I asked him to elaborate. He goes on to say that we as Black Americans often find ourselves in one of two places: (1) spaces where we are tolerated or (2) spaces that uplift our culture to counteract said other spaces.

Black Americans have always had to create alternative spaces that reflect our identity, culture, history, and visions for the future. This also includes the systems we desire to institute in hopes to ensure self- sufficiency and autonomy. In this case, the space is the urban neighbourhood, and the vision is an equitable and accessible local food system tailored to their needs. What is preventing this progress are the acres of vacant land, which have performed as kryptonite to those with resources. The plots of green were not a bad omen to the interviewee, but rather a call to be creative and create a space that reflects both past influence and devotion to a better future through food. The residents of the neighbourhood in question, located in Toledo, Ohio, had to function as their own Superman/ Woman. My dissertation, ‘Empowerment through Consumption: Land Ownership, Land Banks and Black Food Geographies’, sought to document and explore this type of perseverance as it relates to urban agriculture (UA) activities in Black neighbourhoods through the praxis of Black urban agrarianism (BUA).

Whether seen as nuisance or serene, vacant land establishes a perception of devaluation and indirectly communicates a message of ‘nothingness’ (Reese, 2019) for those who live within its boundaries or in its proximity. When speaking of majority- melanated neighbourhoods, the terms ‘vacant’, ‘disinvestment’, and even ‘urban core’ all carry connotations tied to anti- Blackness and anti- poor motives to overtake space, which leads to displacement and erasure. As someone who was raised in this type of neighbourhood, I have witnessed the debilitating relationship between Black communities and numerous plots of green grass, which mirrors the weakening effect of kryptonite on Superman.