Epilogue

Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 11, no. 1 (Dec. 2012)
Reflections (Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network), 2018 July/Aug.
True citizen (Waynesboro, Ga. : 1882), 2021 July 7

According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, 2,870 Black Georgians were still farming in 2017, making Georgia fifth in the nation for the number of African American farmers. Many programs and policies are attempting to address agricultural land inequality, and there are still longstanding African American farms whose mission is to continue providing healthy food options to Georgia and beyond.

For example, Gilliard Farms is sixth-generation farmland, now tended by Althea and Matthew Raiford, the great-great-great-grandchildren of the farm’s founder, Jupiter Gilliard. Located in Brunswick, Gilliard Farms focuses on organic crops, vegetables, poultry, and livestock. A more recently established venture, the Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, or Collegetown Farm, was founded by K. Rashid Nuri in 2006. Truly Living Well brings fresh produce and other naturally grown products to Atlanta’s urban center, and much of what they produce is earmarked for those who could not otherwise afford it.

Recent policies and reform efforts have attempted to provide reconciliation for the losses of African American farm owners. Atlanta's 2021 Farm Stand Ordinance included new policies that allow urban farms to sell fresh, affordable food directly to consumers in residentially zoned areas of the city.

Finally in 2021, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress initially passed the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act, a stimulus package that earmarked roughly $5 billion in aid for disadvantaged farmers. However, the Act was challenged in the courts within months of its passage and was subsequently repealed by the Inflation Reduction Act on August 16, 2022.