REDEFINING THE FACE OF THE AMERICAN FARMER
A STUNNING COLLECTION of portraits and stories, The Color of Food sheds light on the seemingly forgotten agricultural story of people of color. Author, photographer and biracial farmer Natasha Bowens' quest to explore her own roots in the soil leads her to unearth a larger story, weaving together culture, resilience and the critical issues that lie at the intersection of race and farming.
The Color of Food teaches us that the food and farm movement is about more than buying local and protecting our soil. It is about preserving community, digging deeply into the places we've overlooked, and celebrating those who have come before us. Blending storytelling, photography, oral history, and unique insight, these pages remind us that true food sovereignty means a place at the table for everyone.
BIO
Natasha Bowens is an author, farmer, and political activist whose advocacy focuses on food sovereignty and social issues. As a young biracial woman in today's agricultural movement, she is dedicated to honoring, preserving and amplifying the stories of Black, Native, Asian and Latina farmers and food activists. Her multimedia project The Color of Food evolved from her work exploring the intersection of race and agriculture for Grist magazine, and from her blog Brown.Girl.Farming , where she writes about issues related to racial inequality, food sovereignty, and resilience. Natasha has interviewed and photographed over 65 North American farmers of color; her work has garnered her national media attention, and she has been featured on CNN, The Atlantic, and Colorlines.
REVIEWS
"What a book! Dive into the stories and photographs Natasha Bowens shares in these pages and you come up for air with a profound apprecation for the diversity of people planting the seeds and harvesting the foods to keep alive cultural traditions and nourish communities around the country. Anyone who eats should read this book: You will come to the table with new appreciation for the intersections between race and food that so often go unsaid and undocumented. Kudos to Bowens for creating this powerful and important book." --Anna Lappé, author, Diet for a Hot Planet and Hope's Edge
"The Color of Food captures the heart and souls of farmers of color... farmers that are frequently forgotten as the stories of agriculture in our country are told. Through the lens of a camera we step into the cultural history of our foods and the beautiful and proud people that grow them." --Cynthia Hayes, Executive Director, Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network
"True to her ancestral ties, Natasha brings forth the hope of a new generation of young people of color fixed on recapturing the energy, history and tradition of farming. The power of storytelling is etched in each farmer's tale of courage and resiliency as they look at farming, not as oppressive, but as a vibrant celebration of who they are. The Color of Food makes the ancestors rise up in triumph!" --Karen Washington, farmer, activist, and cofounder, Black Urban Growers
New Society Publishers / May 01, 2015
0.6" H x 8.9" L x 7.9" W (1.1 lbs) 240 pages