Empower Black Farmers: Support the Wright Family

Did you know that according to USDA data less than 1% of Black farmers own their own farmland, and only 1.4% of farmers identify as Black or African American? Did you know that Black farmers have faced barriers due to discrimination in obtaining farm loans and grants consistently?

We, Veronica and Jeremy Wright, an African American husband and wife team have the ambitious goal of owning our own farm land. Right now, we are farming organically grown produce at our small suburban residence, and are tending to 20+ beehives on our friend’s farm 40 minutes away from our residence.

We have partnered with Down at the Farms, which is featured in the documentary “Sustainable”, which allows us to get our honey and produce into Illinois’ local food system very efficiently. We no longer have to worry about how our food is getting sold and it is truly an incredible and wide reaching program that is constantly growing.

A major opportunity has opened up for us - a farm is available quite literally next door to the new, larger food hub location for Down at the Farms. This means our weekly 3 hour round trip to Down at the Farms would be reduced to walking by foot next door. We would be able to work full time as farmers with this relocation.

We need your help.

Our relocation is entirely dependent on our ability to obtain a farm loan, and our ability to afford the numerous steps we have to take to get us out of the suburbs to central Illinois.

Our first attempt earlier this year was not successful, due to our lender forcing us to withdraw our application over her “personal concerns” about our “family size” despite our demonstration of our ability to afford a mortgage for the property with farming income. We are pursuing justice for this incident of discrimination, and in the meantime are positioning ourselves to reapply for a farm loan within the coming weeks. Sadly, we experienced the same discrimination that other Black Farmers have at daunting rates - approximately 43% of loans are denied to Black Farmers.

While we are just one farming family, we do matter. We’d like to make a difference with our farming and beekeeping. We want to produce nutrient dense, organically grown food on a much larger scale to nourish our fellow Illinois residents. We want to be able to provide for our family making an honest living. We want to overcome the barriers in front of us and not give up.

By donating, sharing, and spreading the word - you can make a huge difference for us, which in turn makes a difference for our community overall. Many farms are being shuttered not just in Illinois but across the country, and we’d like to step up and answer the call for more small farms, and more Black farmers.

Thank you for your support.