Federation Celebrated for Black Resistance in Fields and Food

This month, the Food and Farm Communications Fund (FFCF) has announced its winners for the 2023 Impact Media Award — one of whom is our grantee the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC). FSC has been recognized for its “Farmers As First Responders” video campaign. It shows how Black farmers in the US South have historically resisted racial oppression and created cooperatives to express collective care, self-determination, and political power.

During last year’s Black History Month, Grassroots staff member Trina Jackson also wrote about FSC’s origins in the civil rights movement and the role of agriculture in the resistance:

“When we talk about Black history, we must recognize and pay homage to this rich history of resistance around food and land that is an essential part of it.”

ANNOUNCING FFCF’S 2023 IMPACT MEDIA AWARD RECIPIENTS

Since inception, the FFCF Impact Media Award has spotlighted influential media makers that challenge attitudes and beliefs to foster collective empathy and activate audiences toward transformational change. The FFCF Impact Media Award is our way of recognizing critical voices telling powerful stories, integrating healing and justice, and leading campaigns that re-center our focus on community nourishment, resilience, and sustainability. This year we joyfully share the work of our 2023 Awardees: Sewa Yuli and The Federation of Southern Cooperatives!

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The Federation of Southern Cooperatives has been selected as a 2023 Impact Media Awardee for their video campaign, Farmers As First Responders. This campaign shares the unjust reality that family farmers and rural communities suffer disproportionately in times of disaster and economic hardship. By working with community-based organizations such as The Federation and its member cooperatives, farmers have the capacity to organize, coordinate and monitor these efforts via established partnerships.

Founded in 1967, the Federation serves as a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy. They envision sustainable rural communities supported by a network of family farmers, landowners, and cooperatives based on local control and ownership. Please view the documentary short featured in the video campaign.