In a fresh take on farm documentaries, Rise Root Revolution follows four Black and queer women pursuing an agrarian dream.
Centered on the work of Karen Washington, Lorrie Clevenger, and Jane and Michaela Hayes-Hodge, this film chronicles both the achievements and the pain of their first seasons farming, through intimate moments and unfettered access.
While running a farm business may be new to these women, growing food isn’t.
They forged their relationships in New York City’s food justice movement more than 15 years ago. Washington, co-founder of the Black Farmer Fund and Black Urban Growers, deserves much of the credit for inspiring today’s re-embrace of farming across the Black community.
Key to the women’s farming experience is the feeling of empowerment they gain, providing sustenance for themselves and their customers. As the demands of their farm business mount, their partnership will be tested, leading to a firsthand discussion of race, class, and opportunity in America.
“Being women of color, being LGBTQ women, being women who have worked so long around food and social justice, I think it really brings the true meaning of what a farm should look like.”
— Karen Washington
Farming, as haunted as it is for many Black and marginalized Americans, is a way to build health, wealth, and power.
To this end, many Black folks are heading back to the land and reconnecting to the natural world.*
Karen Washington, Lorrie Clevenger, and Jane and Michaela Hayes-Hodge founded Rise and Root Farm to fight the existential dread that most poor Americans face, not knowing where to get their next meal. This film makes unapologetic connections between entrenched poverty and our nation’s systemic racism. In contrast to what today’s food movement says, these women claim the food system isn’t broken: It is intentionally designed to keep land, wealth, and power concentrated in the hands of a few.
*While Black farmers have never disappeared from America entirely, during the 20th century their numbers plummeted to only 1.7 percent of U. S. farm operators. From: Race/Ethnicity/Gender Profile, USDA Census of Agriculture. 2017.