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SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: TRADITIONS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ADAPTATIONS AMONG BLACK FARMERS IN OHIO DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Gail Patricia Myers, M.A. The Ohio State University 2002 Dissertation Committee: Approved by: Dr. Douglas Crews, Adviser Dr. Pat Mullen Dr. Virginia Richardson Department of Anthropology Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 30 3 9 5 0 6 __ ___ __® UMI UMI Microform 3039506 Copyright 2002 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. Ail rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Black fanning communities developed in Ohio from the early 1800’s through the 1870’s. The impetus for the development into Ohio was its free state status and it was a short route to Canada, via the Underground Railroad. Early during this period some farmers owned land as large as 2000 acres. However, these were fragmented through inheritance, sales, and loses to others. Today’s black farmers by and large run small-scale farms of 50 to 140 acres. They have not generally been successful at sustaining farming as a business. This research is based upon the agroecoiogical model that examines relationships among people, the environment, agricultural systems, biological diversity, and traditional knowledge. I collected data from 24 African-American fanners in Ohio by observation, multiple interviews, participant observation, and archival research. These data were transcribed from tape, audio and video, and fieldnotes, and coded to computer compatible data utilizing Nud*st 4.0 software. Qualitative data collection and analysis utilized grounded theory methods, systematic and constant comparative. Structured survey data were analyzed by averages utilizing the standard deviations. Agricultural ways of today’s African American fanners are part of a tradition of ecology-based farming and representative of sustainable farming systems. Resource management decisions appear to emanate from concerns about the local ecology, family, ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. material aesthetics, kinship, and community identity. In general the data examined herein support the idea that agricultural behavior (tradition, knowledge, adaptations) provides a means to establish a cultural identity for African American farmers within a larger social system of which they are a part. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedicated to my wonderful mother Luevenia Mae Weems Myers In loving memory of my grandmother Carrie Lee Weems To the People of the Randolph Estate who never got their land And to all African American Farmers who ever lived and yet to arrive! iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS All praise and thanks to the creator. I could not have completed this project without the help of the farmers in this study and the other individuals who provided information and leads for this research. I would like to thank Mrs. Helen Gilmore who gave me the motivation to conduct this particular research with African American farmers. Henry Burke was a wealth of historical information and local data and I thank him for having a great sense of humor. Sincere thanks to Charles Loggins, Robert Coles, and Jon Bourdon for invaluable assistance in locating the farmers in this study. When times got tough, my resolve was rejuvenated by my family. I want to thank my mother Luevenia Myers, who as always encouraged me to follow my dreams and gave me spiritual inspirations along this academic road. To my sisters, Diane, Brinda, and Jeannette for support financially and spiritually. To my nieces and nephews, Ivory, Deannia, Jasmine, Adrianna, Genisia, Jabarri, Mitchell, Ashlee, and Ervonni for teaching me new information all the time. Much gratitude to my friends from California to New York, from Chicago to Florida, who sent money, food, and prayers to help me make it through this dissertation writing process. To my friend Wanda in Columbus who taught me a lot about many things and who always had kind words to say. I would like to thank the members of my committee for their outstanding guidance and direction throughout the writing process. A special thank you to Dr. V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Crews, who took me into his writing wings and guided me into the next level of my scholarly writing. A special thanks also to Dr. Mullen for being ever so willing and able to assist me during those difficult transitions in the department and reading the many drafts. I am deeply indebted to my mentor Dr. Virginia Richardson for encouragement and guidance during my years at OSU and for being the rock of Gibraltar for me during my tenure at OSU. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Moore for sparking my interest into this inquiry of Black Farmers. All praise and thanks to the creator. 1 gratefully acknowledge that this research was funded by a grant from the Graduate Student Alumni Research Award (GSARA). vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. VITA August 10, 1957 Bom - Daytona Beach, Florida 1991 B.A. - Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida Major English with emphasis in Creative Writing 1997 M.A. - Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia Applied Anthropology 1999 Admission to Candidacy for Ph.D. Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University 1999-2001 Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Anthropology vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract.............................................................................................................ii Dedication.........................................................................................................iv Acknowledgments..............................................................................................v V ita...................................................................................................................vii List of Tables..................................................................................................ix List of Illustrations..........................................................................................x Preface.............................................................................................................xi Chapters 1. Introduction..............................................................................................1 2. Methods................................................................................................. 40 3. Development of Black farming settlements............................................61 4. Black farming settlements in O hio.........................................................84 5. Black farming traditions and practices..................................................117 6. Environmental/Ecological perspectives and Sources of knowledge ... 158 7. Discussion............................................................................................. 185 Bibliography.................................................................................................... 199 Appendices: Appendix A- Introductory Letter........................................................