Opening in Durham. I’m trying to understand this as a white man. It seems to me as a back peddle on equality to label things by color. The current farmers markets aren’t white farmers markets and people of all color can sell at them. Maybe I missing something here but I find this strange that in a time we are seeking equality to name things by race. Sounds like segregation light. Help me understand. I’m not against black people celebrating and mourning their history and the accomplishments that have been made and are still need to be advanced. But this seems like a back step. It seems like we came so far since MLK and Rosa Parks days and now we put the car in reverse. Please help me understand as I’m not upset or angry just need to try to educate myself on the positives on something like this.

[Edited on July 11, 2020 at 4:39 AM. Reason : .]

7/11/2020 4:33:20 AM

you used the word equality. to get the black supply chain on equal footing as the white one, you need to specifically patronize it. this enables people to easily patronize that supply chain. your white money is more than welcome as there's no segregation as your rhetoric implies. think of this like a community sponsored subsidy on the order of 1/1000000th what the gov't gave and continues to give to nearly 100% white farmers. maybe when there are 999999 of these markets throughout america, it'll equal the corn lobby. get it?

7/11/2020 8:54:40 AM

If I am not mistaken, there are often booth rental fees associated with farmer's markets. These fees are based off of a period of time, often increasing in price for the selling season. I would imagine that at popular farmer's markets, there isn't unlimited space either.

Maybe they just don't have the familiarity with the farmer's market organizers, who are probably white, to get into the farmer's market. What if those black farmers simply haven't been as successful, for various reasons, over multiple generations while they battled racism? They simply wouldn't be at the same starting point. The thing about systemic racism is that it infects EVERYTHING that you see around you. Imagine having to run a race...one lap around the track...and your lined up at the starting line... but your other competitors are 100 yards ahead.

How do you battle this?

Well, I am not exactly sure how to battle it. But historically, black people in America have tried to do this by helping out your brother when you can. If you get put on to some good fortune, try to bring others along. If you are able to start a business, help a brother or sister trying to work. If you can get a farmer's market going, give an opportunity for black farmers to sell their goods.

This isn't about segregating yourself from the white population. Think about the events that happened in Tulsa, OK with black wall street. Did you ever stop to think why there was a black wall street? It's not that black people didn't want to participate in other large successful cities of their time. It's that they couldn't, because of racism. So what do you do? Start your own.

7/11/2020 9:34:37 AM

I hear your points and try to understand it from a different perspective. I feel like the country is moving backwardly in race relations based off recent events and it worries me. So not placing blame on any race but it just seems that we are moving in wrong direction. Black farmers market. What’s next negro bathrooms and water fountains. I’m not being racist more saying that labeling these things in selective terms may move us in the wrong direction. We want to be unified but if I grow sprouts as a white man can I sell em at the black farmers market? I would assume yes but not sure.

7/12/2020 5:30:34 AM

farmers markets are a sham anyways. most farmers are busy farming and don't have the time to sit in a stall trying to sell a product.

7/12/2020 7:17:10 AM

Ehh. I have a cousin who’s a hippie type dude. Super nice. Grows food on his farm and started into micro greens in Ohio. He does the farmers market thing and markets to restaurants for farm to table and makes an honest wage to support himself. He’s likely the happiest and kindest person I know.

7/12/2020 7:59:33 AM

I see what Mr. Quiksilver is saying. I wonder how they determine if a farmer is "black enough" to sell there? This just seems to emphasize race a lot more, when it should be emphasized way less.

It feels like if the goal is to help black farmers (who have been discriminated against way more than white farmers), there's gotta be a better way... I'm not sure what, though.

7/12/2020 1:38:58 PM

Main post is basically saying ALL FARMERS' MARKETS MATTER

7/13/2020 12:20:44 AM

What about a White History Month?! And what's up with BET??!

7/13/2020 12:32:09 PM

you can't pretend race doesn't matter and de-emphasize it until race is of no negative consequence to anyone. saying "I don't know what the answer is" is basically saying, I've tried nothing, the idea presented doesn't make me feel good about where things are. you're in no way affected by a black market, therefore you really have no room to give any input on such a thing. kinda like how not owning a vagina gives you no room to regular those either

[Edited on July 13, 2020 at 8:18 PM. Reason : d]

7/13/2020 8:17:57 PM

That is a good point. I’m just trying to understand how it is seen as a need and not a step the wrong way. Like I’ve said it just sounds like let’s have black markets then black and white toilets and black and white water fountains at first glance. But you and others have put it in perspective for me in a better way which is what I was seeking. And I like to regular vagina but I don’t own one.

7/14/2020 4:47:08 AM