2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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print this pageWhere Furrows Run Deep
Jeffrey Sauger
Saturday, October 11 - 3:20PM to 3:55PM
Wayne State University
In 1920, Black farmers owned nearly 16 million acres of farmland, accounting for approximately 14% of all farms in the United States. A century later, that number has plummeted—by 2022, only 28,723 Black-owned farms remained, covering a mere 0.5% of U.S. farmland.
Black farmers have endured systemic racism embedded within federal agricultural institutions, most notably the USDA while losing land at an average rate of 1,000 acres per day—three times the national average.
Motivated by the vanishing presence of Black farmers and the urgent need for cultural preservation, I embarked on a visual documentation of this deeply marginalized group.
These images are about loss, endurance, and the fight for belonging in a country that has often denied Black farmers both voice and visibility. This work challenges educators, artists, and institutions to consider the role of visual media in confronting historical amnesia and systemic inequality.
speaker
Jeffrey Sauger
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