Good Dirt: Texas Black Farmer Oral History Project
By Rockie GIlford
Take a moment and imagine yourself as a farmer standing in a vast open field. The sun hangs high in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape. As you take a deep breath, you can smell the earthy aroma of the soil beneath your feet.
Now, let your gaze drift downward, and focus on the ground beneath you. At first glance, it may seem unremarkable—just dirt. But as you look closer, you begin to see the intricate web of life teeming within it.
Now, imagine reaching down and scooping up a handful of soil. Feel its texture—gritty yet soft, crumbly yet resilient. As you let it trickle through your fingers, marvel at the richness and diversity contained within each handful.
Think about the countless plants that rely on this soil for nourishment—the towering trees, the vibrant flowers, the lush green grasses. They send their roots deep into the earth, drawing sustenance and strength from the nutrients stored within.
As you continue to ponder the wonders of dirt, consider its role as a custodian of history. Embedded within its layers are the remnants of civilizations past—the broken shards of pottery, the fossilized remains of ancient creatures, the imprints of long-forgotten footprints.
Finally, take a moment to appreciate the sheer abundance of life that flourishes in the soil. From the tiniest insect to the mightiest oak, each organism plays a vital role in the intricate tapestry of the natural world.
Take one last look at land, as a farmer you know that what we see depends on how we view the world and while most people it’s just dirt to you the farmers all you can see is its potential. You can see nothing but “good dirt”.
Over the years I became deeply interested in my family genealogy and being able to weave historical documentation to the stories my great uncle and grandmother shared with me. What I know is I come from a long line of farmers on both sides of my family who through enslavement became freedmen and farmers in the South particularly in North Texas. My great great great grandfather on my maternal side gave his daughter and her husband a plot of land next to his in Winnsboro County. My Great Grandmother before she passed had over 100 acres of land in the county full of fruit tree orchards, livestock and vegetable crops.
My mother was raised partially by my great grandmother and so growing up I was raised as a farm hand. Wherever we lived we grew our own food and in copious amounts. As I got older I found my way back to our land practices and began to cultivate community around land stewardship and African and indigenous learnings about the land.
I went on to do two farmer immersion programs and build a community garden and now one of a handful of stewards of a community farm on the Eastside of San Antonio. I learned so many other stories and histories around farming and food as well as politics of land and land loss by these families and communities.
This led me to create Good Dirt: The Texas Black Farmer Oral History Project with a mission to inspire, share the stories of farmers and their families and archive these stories for future generations. The name of the project comes from two sayings my grandmother told me as I was getting started in this work which were “Nothing beats a failure but a try” and a few years ago when I showed her my 8ft okra in my own garden and the 15ft corn in the community farm she told me something her mother told her: “As high as the corn, as rich as the collards… salt of the earth.. Don’t forget you come from good dirt”
In starting this project I was not sure where it would lead me to. I had already started recording and learning stories of other farmers. By participating in the fellowship I was able to focus on keeping in mind the practice for making space to allow for the voice of the work and the community to guide my path not to lead it. I remained open to be the keeper of the stories, not necessarily the creator. In this way I was able to intentionally honor the legacies of the stories I was told and knowing this work is bigger than just my initial dream but that it is now a collective dream.
This initial podcast features five farmers from San Antonio and surrounding counties. The same questions were asked and then following the thread of where the conversation took us became the most treasured moments in the interview. Big themes came shining through in these conversations from memories and sense of belonging that was cultivated in families working the land together, farm chores to traditions of certain land practices, how sustainability and regenerative agriculture are rooted in african and indigenous knowledge and legacy of crops from across the African diaspora have become staples of the American food table that these farmers still grow, eat and share culture with today.
Each interview during the fellowship that I had has had magical moments that let me feel a closer spiritual connection to the land and the people who tend to it.
As I interviewed Deydra Steans of Black Gold Resourcing she talked about her grandmother and shelling peas and cooking gumbo from vegetables in the garden, as she talked about a butterfly landed on her hand. The butterfly remained with her for the next 10 minutes. Deydra sipped her tea and the butterfly never moved until we were done talking about her grandmother and then softly flew away.
Papa Prevo who is almost 83 years young this year is hard to get to sit down once he gets to the community farm as head steward and farmer. However he sat with me on two occasions for more than 45 minutes sharing his story and things he learned and in turn the community and I learned from him. I told him his wisdom should be in a book and a t-shirt and that I planned to make him famous before it’s all said and done. At the time of this writing he has had to slow down so I count my continued blessings to hear his stories.
The legacy of Black farmers in Texas is a cornerstone of the state’s agricultural history and a beacon for its future. Their contributions have shaped the agricultural landscape, enriched the cultural fabric, and demonstrated a profound resilience and ingenuity. As we continue to address the challenges and opportunities in agriculture, it is essential to honor and support the enduring legacy of Texas Black farmers. By doing so, we not only acknowledge their past contributions but also pave the way for a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural future.
I’m honored to continue this work as an advocate and folklorist to keep, record, archive and share these stories.
