Black Farmers: Pursuing BlueOval Business

 

Thomas Burrell is president of the Black Farmers and
Agriculturalists Association and advocates for Black farmers
like himself. Photo by Patricia Rogers

MEMPHIS, TN – The $5.6 billion dollar Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City project is being built on farmland in Haywood County, Tenn., approximately 70 miles from Memphis.

While the plant is a boon for Haywood County, Thomas Burrell believes it is an opportunity for Black farmers and landowners in the area to create generational wealth by incorporating and developing the land around BlueOval City.

Burrell is a farmer from Covington, Tenn., and president of the Memphis-based 20,000-member Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA), a nonprofit organization.

In 1991, Burrell protested the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in his hometown for allegedly discriminating against Black farmers. The protest gained traction nationally and morphed into the historic (Pigford v. Glickman) 1999 class-action lawsuit against the USDA. 

The lawsuit alleged racial discrimination against Black farmers in its allocation of farm loans and assistance between 1981 and 1996. It was settled in 2010 during the Obama administration.

Burrell is now focused on creating long-term economic development opportunities for BFAA members who own land in proximity to BlueOval City. 

“We want real wealth creation with an initiative for fair and equitable treatment of Black farmers and landowners who have land on the $5.6 billion dollar Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City project,” he said.

By 2025, Ford’s mega plant is expected to be the largest facility in the world for manufacturing electric vehicles and batteries. Burrell, however, is looking at the big picture. 

How can Black farmers and landowners benefit from the windfall in Haywood County and not become “victims of the overall economic development process, which often excludes African Americans?” he said.

“We're gonna have to incorporate in order to collaborate,” Burrell said. “It is hard or difficult for Ford Motor Company or General Motors or Nissan to cooperate or collaborate with an unincorporated entity.”

Most of the land that African Americans own – whether it is in Tennessee, Alabama or Kentucky – will be unincorporated, Burrell said, even though “African Americans own millions of acres in this country.”

In some cases, African Americans can’t prove that they own their land, he said, when there isn’t a clear deed or title to the property.

He said unequivocally that “nobody's gonna do business with you if you can't prove that you own it (land). If there's a cloud on a title, why would they want to do business with the person with a defective title to his property?”

Then there’s the issue of eminent domain that concerns Burrell. He said some BFAA members have been asked to surrender some of their land to extend Tennessee State Route 194 into BlueOval City.

“The issue (or grievance) is whether or not they are receiving just compensation,” he said, compared to white farmers and landowners.

However, Burrell believes generational wealth is possible when Black landowners develop a part of their land rather than sell it. “You can't give your grandchildren what you’ve sold,” he said.

“Traditionally, when we look out into the field now, we see cotton and soybeans,” Burrell said. “But if you're next door to an automobile manufacturer that's investing $6 billion, you won't see soybeans; you won't see cotton.” 

He said the new crop will be hotels, restaurants, warehouses, homes, apartments, and other development, including infrastructure. 

But first and foremost, Black farmers and landowners must incorporate “to create a building bloc,” said Burrell, using as an example a member of BFAA whose father incorporated the land before he died decades ago.

He said the member is talking to his neighbors and trying to encourage them to incorporate and collaborate on increasing their acreage to attract mega corporations like BlueOval City.

Corporations, he emphasized, will not do business with “unincorporated entities.” 

The Memphis Juneteenth Festival Celebrates 30 Years with Monthlong Events

 

This drumlins from The Memphis Youth Arts Initiative played
an integral part in last year's Memphis Juneteenth Festival.
(Photo by Wiley Henry)

MEMPHIS, TN – Juneteenth is alive and well in Memphis all monthlong and culminates June 17-18 in the 30th annual Memphis Juneteenth Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at Health Sciences Park, 26 South Dunlap in the Medical District.

“We have been at the forefront in Memphis for 30 years in terms of celebrating Juneteenth,” said Dr. Telisa Franklin, the festival’s president. “Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, we’re excited that everybody gets a chance to celebrate.”

The celebration began June 1 with the Juneteenth Family Empowerment Fair at Ed Rice Community Center in the Frayer community. Job seekers – even budding entrepreneurs – gleaned something from participating businesses, city and county governments, recruiters, schools, and more.

Next on tap is Franklin’s Juneteenth The Musical Stage Play, Saturday, June 10, at the Holloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, 225 South Main St. Talented singers and dancers from the Young Actors Guild (YAG) will take center stage in this adaptation of the Juneteenth experience after slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been emancipated.  

Chrysti Chandler, who founded YAG 32 years ago, is the play’s creative director. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com for either the 2 p.m. stage play or the one at 7 p.m.

“I give kudos to Chrysti for her vision, creativity, and for interpreting the story of Juneteenth from YAG’s perspective,” Franklin said. “This is a signature event for the Memphis Juneteenth Festival.” 

Up next is the Memphis Juneteenth Community Baby Shower Empowerment Luncheon, Sunday, June 11 at The Kent, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. This event is powered by District 7 City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter Thomas and Franklin.

“The baby shower benefits expecting mothers who need to know where to go for invaluable resources,” Franklin said. “Lots of information will be available.”

There will be information on the health and wellness of mothers and their babies, including breastfeeding and free baby essentials. Topics include “Maternal Mental Health & Grief Trauma Counseling” and “Connections to Resources & Supportative Services.” 

Food, fun and, again, powerful information will be available. Registration is required. Visit www.MemphisJuneteenth.com for more information and details.

The 30th Anniversary Juneteenth Freedom Luncheon is up next, Thursday, June 15, at Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. The grand ballroom is the setting for this 11:30 a.m. luncheon. 

Dr. Raymond Winbush, a noted scholar, activist, research professor and director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Md., is the keynote speaker.

“If you haven’t heard Dr. Winbush expound on reparations as it relates to Juneteenth, then you’re in for a treat,” Franklin said. “He is the go-to person for African-American history and culture.”

More information is online at www.MemphisJuneteenth.com.

On Saturday, June 17, the Juneteenth Freedom 2.5 Run/Walk commences at Health Sciences Park. The 2.5K Run/Walk is significant because it took 2 ½ years before the slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they’d been freed.

There’s a Kid Dash as well for runners ages 2-11. Medals will be awarded in each race. Participants can register online as well. 

Also on June 17, the first day of the festival, there will be a Juneteenth Greek Stroll Off. Fraternities and sororities from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will step, snap, or stomp in spirit and pride.

Other highlights of the first day include the Juneteenth Youth Showcase featuring majorettes, drummers, dancers, singers, and cheerleaders. Altogether, the two-day festival features a variety of entertainment, including arts & crafts, food vendors, a car and bike show, and activities for seniors and children.

The Memphis Juneteenth Festival is a 501c (3) organization and one of Memphis’ longest-running festivals. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland recently proclaimed June 17-18 as “The Memphis Juneteenth Festival” and “claim this the official Juneteenth festival in the City of Memphis.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris also claimed Juneteenth to be the official festival.

Pastor Dianne Young Hopes to Save More Souls From Suicide

 

After the death of her husband, Bishop William M. Young Sr., 
Pastor Dianne M. Young is keeping the “National Suicide and
the Black Church Conference” alive. (Courtesy photo)

MEMPHIS, TN – Black people don’t commit suicide. At least that was the consensus in the Black community, according to the Rev. Dianne M. Young, pastor of The Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church.

Young and her late husband, Bishop William M. Young Sr., were confronted with this fallacy in 2002 when a distressed church member took her life on the grounds of the church.

Her suicide devastated the Youngs. “We were already counseling and working with people,” she said, when the unthinkable happened. In 2003, they founded the “National Suicide and the Black Church Conference.” 

This year’s conference (the 10th one) is slated for Wednesday, June 14, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Southwest Tennessee Community College, 5983 Macon Cove. 

The theme is “Anchored in Hope.” 

Experts in the field will provide participants with a plethora of information such as signs (behavioral, social and emotional) to look for, and prevention and intervention techniques.

Dozens of presenters will join the conversation as well, including pastors, government officials, educators, clinicians, doctors and more. “We’re trying to save lives,” Young said.

That day at the church reminds Young that Black people are just as susceptible to suicide as any other group. Depression, she said, is the culprit that often drives a person to the brink of suicide.

“She stopped me that Sunday morning and said that she wanted to see me. I told her we would meet that Monday afternoon at 4:00,” Young recalls. The next morning, at 7:30, “We got a call from the church that somebody was lying on the ground.”

Young’s husband sped to 3885 Tchulahoma Rd. What he discovered was shocking. The woman was lying at the foot of the cross in front of the church. She’d used a pistol to end her life.

“That's how the journey began,” said Young, who along with her husband had been counseling individuals over the years and facilitating mental health initiatives at the church.

Young is hoping this year’s conference, which will be available online as well, will attract as many attendees as possible now that her husband of 46 years is no longer with her.

Bishop Young died Oct. 9, 2022.

“We had conversations about how to carry on, what my role would be, and how to keep it going,” Young said. “This is what we saw as our purpose. I really haven't stopped since William passed.”

Jay Barnett, a former NFL player, once suffered from depression. He attempted suicide twice. Now he’s a clinical therapist, author, and speaks unabashedly about the mental health of Black men.

He’s the conference keynote speaker. 

Tamu Lewis will provide testimony. She is the co-founder and board president of the LTY Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping erase the stigma associated with mental illness.

Lewis launched the foundation as a living legacy to her brother, actor Lee Thompson Young, who lost his life to suicide in 2013. He was at the apex of his career when he succumbed to depression. 

The conference is an extension to what the Youngs had been doing at the church. For example, they launched The Healing Center Wellness & Stress Clinic of Memphis in 1999.

They’d partnered with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, local government, Memphis Area Legal Services, and the West Cancer Center.

In 2008, the Youngs opened the Emotional Fitness Centers of Tennessee, a network of 10 faith-based counseling centers and two satellite sites providing access to mental health care and substance abuse screenings in the African-American community.

“This is why the conference is so important,” Young said. “We got to do something.”

For more information about the National Suicide and the Black Church Conference, call 901-370-4673 or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/559702744977.