Soil of the Earth

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When Trevor Claiborn enrolled in the Environmental Science and Technology program at Blue Grass Community and Technical College in 2010, he almost immediately noticed something: how few people in the program looked like him.

“It was a very interesting program, so I was kind of curious,” said Claiborn, who is African American. ”[Farming] wasn’t something we talked about when we were younger.”

After completing that program, Claiborn pursued a degree in  agriculture, food & environment at Kentucky State Universiry, where he saw the same dynamic: very little African-American representation. Even further,  he noted a lack of positive imagery overall of African Americans farming.

“A lot of publications typically don’t highlight African-American farmers,” he said. “You see slave movies or movies that don’t depict it as something positive.”

Claiborn wasn’t imagining things – according to a report released by the Center for American Progress earlier this year, African Americans make up less than 2 percent of all farmers. The report also detailed a long and complex line of systematic discrimination that’s thought to have led to this staggering statistic, the effects of which can be seen in just about any agricultural community in the country.

It’s a disparity that Claiborn is determined to help change.

In 2017, he and his partner, Ashley Smith, formed Black Soil, a Lexington-based agri-tourism organization to help reverse the underrepresentation of minorities within Kentucky’s own agricultural community. The organization works to connect agricultural producers with consumers from across the state through a model that includes events, tours and workshops at black-owned farms in Kentucky. The organization also spearheads other promotional efforts, including newsletters, social media outreach and helping push forth new images of the modern-day black farmer in America, all of which are designed to engage the senses, foster relationships and help shine positive light on Kentucky’s black farmers.

Claiborn said he sees his and Smith’s role with the organization as essentially acting as ‘“agricultural cheerleaders.” While Black Soil started out simply as a way to carve out space for black Kentuckians to reconnect to their legacy and heritage in agriculture, Smith said the organization has since blossomed into an ever-evolving program of cultural, educational and networking opportunities.

“It’s an agri-tourism business, but it’s also really rooted in raising the awareness of an industry that was heavily rooted in the black cultural experience,” she said. “It’s about not only helping folks become more aware of farming and agriculture, but it’s also really building those relationships so that people know who’s growing their food.”

At the crux of Black Soil’s work are its monthly events at  various farms across the state. Taking place from April to October, Black Soil’s ticketed farm-to-table dinners feature a host-partner farmer who provides the venue and menu items, as well as a Kentucky-based culinary artist who prepares the food for the event. As much food as possible is sourced directly from the host farm or another local African-American owned farm or business, and Smith, Claiborn and their team provide organizational support, set-up, ticketing and promotion. The farm dinners are served family-style to encourage community, conversation and engagement.

“The more we got into it, we started realizing there are a lot of different factors as to why there are not a lot of African American voices in these spaces,” Claiborn said. “We tried to take a more solution-based approach to address some of these issues.”

Among the farmers with whom the organization has worked with are Kenya Abraham and her husband, Iyad “Eddie” Abraham. The young couple run SlakMarket Farm, a raw milk micro dairy and halal herd farm in Lexington on Athens Walnut-Hill Pike. In May, Black Soil hosted a farm-to-table Mother’s Day dinner on the farm for 35 guests.

The Abrahams connected with Black Soil through Smith on Facebook when they moved to Lexington three years ago. Through their partnership with the organization, Kenya Abraham has been involved in speaking engagements at other Black Soil events and has met other black and brown farmers in Kentucky, whom she said she may not have met otherwise.

Abraham, whose family has been farming for six years, noted a very special connection that happens when “you get people back to the soil and the earth,” as Black Soil’s events are designed to do.

It’s a sentiment Claiborn echoed.

“It’s almost like a spiritual experience when you get people out of the city who haven’t really been around farms – when they’re actually out there on the farm, smelling the air, smelling the soil,” he said.

The farm tour portion of the Black Soil experience allows ticket holders an intimate and educational opportunity to fully experience what goes on behind the scenes at these farms, to further drive home that connection. Participants engage in activities and workshops, such as harvesting with the farmers, and are encouraged to shop with the host before heading home.

With black farmers in Kentucky being at disproportionately low numbers even compared to the already-low national levels, Claiborn and Smith wanted to use their time and talent to focus on the people they could reach. For the couple, who both have other full-time jobs and one-year-old twins, Black Soil is a labor of love that continues to blossom as more and more relationships are formed and farmers are empowered.

“We’re just proud to help put these black Kentuckians in the forefront as we step back and support them from behind the scenes,” Smith said. “It is our goal to position them so they have the greatest opportunity to succeed.”

“When we look at the landscape of tourism in Kentucky we really want to carve out space to tell a balanced story,” she added, “to tell a full, rich exciting story that’s honorable.”

Upcoming Black Soil Events

The organization’s upcoming monthly farm-to-table dinners, farm tours and workshops will take at the following dates and locations in the upcoming months. For tickets and more information, visit www.blacksoil.life/#events.

• Sunday, Sept. 15: Cleav’s Family Market (LaRue County)

• Sunday, Oct. 13: Thompson Family Farm (Scott County)

• Sunday, Nov. 3: Silver Springs Farm (Fayette County)

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