Root Shock & Resistance: Rural Black Land Loss and Mobilization for Restoration
Thursday, June 18, 7PM ET

From the colonial period to the present administration, millions of acres of land have been repeatedly taken out from underneath Black farmers here in the U.S. From hooded vigilantism in the night to modern banking in the day, these land grabs have pushed out thousands of Black towns and farming communities. The resulting population displacement represents a "root shock" of broken-up community and battered public health--to the detriment of the whole of the country.

Black communities rural to urban have always resisted these campaigns. Our panel of farmers, food activists, and people's scholars will explore the nature of these attacks and the many ways communities have long resisted them, including mobilization efforts today.

Confirmed speakers: Mindy Fullilove (Author of Root Shock), Savi Horne (Land Loss Prevention Project), Rae Gomes (Community Kitchen), Mia Charlene White (BIPOC Planners Collective), and Elsa Calderon (Co-author of "Rural root shock"). Moderated by Rev. Dr. Edgar Rivera Colon (University of Orange). More panelists to come.

Tickets for the online event are on a pay-what-you-can scale, with all proceeds to be donated to the following organizations supporting Black farmers:

• National Black Food & Justice Alliance
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
• Land Loss Prevention

Sponsored by: Michigan State's Center for Regional Food Systems, the University of Orange, and the Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps.