THESE HANDS
2021[PHOTOGRAPHY] [VISUAL DESIGN]
Pacific West Coast
Author and professor Caroline Finney writes that for too long “the narrative of the Great Outdoors in the U.S.” has been informed by “Eurocentrism and the linkage of wilderness to whiteness.” In this exploration into the truths and traumas behind Black Americans’ distant relationship with the land, “THESE HANDS” tells the story of Black farmers cultivating life along the West Coast of the US.
From Seattle to Los Angeles, THESE HANDS examines the origin stories of contemporary Black farmers on the Pacific West Coast. The project was designed to facilitate open dialogue between active participants and curious newcomers to farming and agriculture in America. The goal: to educate and empower Black Americans to reclaim their connection to nature, recover their ancestral practices and most importantly, reconnect with themselves.
COVER STORY for Whetstone Magazine Volume 09.
BROWN GIRL FARMS
HAYWARD, CA
“Everything that I do out here goes [towards] honoring our ancestors
At my previous job… being Black in an outdoor education, there was so much I needed to heal from and I was just so tired of working under a white narrative and under white bosses. There were so many limitations.
I was like, “I want to create a space for us, by us.” So that’s where the fellowship program was birthed out of…”
NURTURING ROOTS FARM
Seattle, WA
For me it’s really about making an ecosystem that self-sustains.
My biggest question: “When am I done asking?”
That is what motivates me.
Soon I’m not gonna need nothing.
I think my biggest fear is our humanity being completely lost. I think more than anything that’s what we do here. We grow food but we’re really growing humanity.