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Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, reflects on the plight of Black farmers in the United States. From the height of Black-owned farms at 14% in 1910 to less than 2% today. Leah and her Soul Fire Farm cohorts help propel a rising generation finding strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism - and its potential to save the planet.

Farming While Black is a feature-length documentary film which examines the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States and the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership to land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.


As the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, Leah Penniman finds strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism – agricultural practices that can heal people and the planet. Influenced and inspired by Karen Washington, a pioneer in urban community gardens in New York City, and fellow farmer and organizer Blain Snipstal, Leah galvanizes around farming as the basis of revolutionary justice.


In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell below two percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. The film chronicles Penniman and two other Black farmers’ efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Collectively, their work has a major impact, as each is a leader in sustainable agriculture and food justice movements. 

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    75 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Social Media
  • Director
    Mark Decena
  • Producer
    Liz Lupino Decena
  • Executive Producer
    Kontent Films
  • Co-Producer
    Lynn Kincaid Waymar
  • Cast
    Leah Penniman, Karen Washington, Blain Snipstal, Naima Penniman, Jonah Vitale-Wolf
  • Cinematographer
    Lawrence Rickford
  • Editor
    Bernardo Josue