06/05/2020
The Heritage H**p Trail and the Kentucky H**p Heritage Alliance (KHHA) would like to make a statement in regard to the recent events that have shed light on the deeply disturbing realities of institutional racism and systemic racial oppression that continue to plague our nation.
We are devastated for the families whose loved ones had their lives taken unjustly due to police misconduct. We're aching for Black communities and those who feel unsafe because of these horrendous acts and subsequent attacks. We are heartbroken for our country which continues to experience the systemic impact of slavery due to years of suppression and lack of reparations. We support Black Lives Matter and the protests that are taking place around the globe to demand racial equality.
We stand in solidarity with you.
As preservers and promoters of h**p history, the KHHA recognizes all aspects of the industry's past which are heavily intertwined with slavery and Black culture. In his book, "A History of the H**p Industry in Kentucky," James F. Hopkins even suggests that without h**p, slavery might not have flourished in Kentucky.
On the farm, the crops were grown by the enslaved, tended to and harvested by the enslaved, shocked and broken by the enslaved, and in the factories, further processed into rope and bagging by the enslaved. Even after the Civil War until WWII, h**p labor was done primarily by Black males.
Understanding the past is how we ensure a better future. We talk about this history to acknowledge, empathize, and empower. According to the USDA Agriculture Census, Black farmers make up less than 2 percent of all farmers in the country, owning just 0.4 percent of all U.S. farmland. In Kentucky, Black farmers represent just 1.4% of primary farm operators, accounting for less than 600 of the 76,000+ agricultural operations across the state. Yet, our state and national economy was built on the backs of Black farmers and laborers.
The KHHA is committed to sharing h**p history in an effort to educate Americans on the travesties of our past, while inspiring Black Americans to retrace, embrace and connect with their agri-cultural roots. We are proud to be partnered with several of our historic affiliates and organizations, such as Black Soil: Our Better Nature, Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, Hopewell Museum/Historic Paris-Bourbon County, and Farmington Historic Plantation on initiatives which aim to specifically highlight the integral role of Black Americans within the h**p industry and Kentucky agriculture.
***Please consider supporting Black Soil: Our Better Nature whose mission is to reconnect black Kentuckians to their legacy and heritage in agriculture.*** https://www.blacksoil.life
