We Are Each Other's Harvest

Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy

By: Natalie Baszile

Narrated by: Tina Lifford

From the author of Queen Sugar—now a critically acclaimed series on OWN directed by Ava Duvernay—comes a beautiful exploration and celebration of black farming in America.

In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers’ personal experiences. In their own words, middle aged and elderly black farmers explain why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss. The ""Returning Generation""—young farmers, who are building upon the legacy of their ancestors, talk about the challenges they face as they seek to redress issues of food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.

These farmers are joined by other influential voices, including noted historians Analena Hope Hassberg and Pete Daniel, and award-winning author Clyde W. Ford, who considers the arrival of Africans to American shores; and James Beard Award-winning writers and Michael Twitty, reflects on black culinary tradition and its African roots. Poetry and inspirational quotes are woven into these diverse narratives, adding richness and texture.

As Baszile reveals, black farming informs crucial aspects of American culture—the family, the way our national identity is bound up with the land, the pull of memory, the healing power of food, and race relations. She reminds us that the land, well-earned and fiercely protected, transcends history and signifies a home that can be tended, tilled, and passed to succeeding generations with pride. We Are Each Other’s Harvest elevates the voices and stories of black farmers and people of color, celebrating their perseverance and resilience, while spotlighting the challenges they continue to face. Luminous and eye-opening, this eclectic collection helps people and communities of color today reimagine what it means to be dedicated to the soil.

Its So Good

I often return to this book for guidance, encouragement and inspiration as a grower. She ate down on this one list of shared stories.

Beautiful. Simply.

Heartfelt, emotional, simple, clear. Wonderful stories of humans connecting with one another and with the land.

Amazing content and reader!

Excellent book that covers lots of ground regarding Black farmers and farming in the U.S. (and a few Latine folks). I was really impressed with the book reader, who took on multiple styles to differentiate between the characters.

Yes we are each others harvest.

This book is a must read to learn history of what black and brown people have endured and are still enduring for the love of farming. It will make you angry, overwhelming sad but yet proud of their resilience on display.

Inspirational discoveries of farming

The novel is inspirational and well-written, detailing the history of African-American farmers dating back to a history of farming in Africa.
The author explains her discoveries and the importance of agriculture when writing her novel "Queen Sugar.
Her interviews of African-American farmers and their families and stories of the U. S government instituted systemic racism, causing the reduction of African-American farmers.
The author mixes interviewees' photos with poetry to set the readers' minds at ease to enjoy the tales of sharecroppers, Mexican immigrants, all revealing their struggles and yet the hope of everyone's harvest into the future.
The diverse interviews describe the peaceful and calming to help US Military personnel who suffer from post-traumatic disorders.
The author's interviews cover every just about every farming agricultural practice, including cattle and even tobacco.
This novel will inspire anyone to become a farmer while connecting everyone's roots of nature's bountiful farming harvest.
The reader will discover everyone's responsibility to sustain ourselves by growing our food to maintain healthy lives.