About US
The Freedom Farmers Market is a niche market that connects African American agricultural producers together with African Americans and other consumers lacking access to culturally relevant, locally grown fresh & healthy food. In addition to a chance to meet some of California's Black farmers we have activities like; the Crowder pea shell off, sweet potato pie tasting, watermelon eating, and poetry contest, healthy soul food demos, nutrition workshops, live music by local artist, dancing and chess.
Our Story
Fannie Lou Hamer
The Freedom Farmers’ Market was named by Dr. Gail Myers, co-founder of F2G inspired from the work of civil right activist Fannie Lou Hamer founder of the Freedom Farm Cooperative in 1968. The Freedom Farmers' Market supports the idea of freedom to choose affordable local food and freedom to access legacy food grown by Black farmers.
In 2013, at the invitation of Ken Shandy, restaurant owner of Brother's Kitchen, Farms to Grow, Inc. facilitated the creation of Oakland's Freedom Farmers' Market. The first year located on the parking lot of Brother's Kitchen in West Oakland and then in 2014, the market relocated to the Telegraph Community Center’s parking lot at 5316 Telegraph Ave.
In 2013, at the invitation of Ken Shandy, restaurant owner of Brother's Kitchen, Farms to Grow, Inc. facilitated the creation of Oakland's Freedom Farmers' Market. The first year located on the parking lot of Brother's Kitchen in West Oakland and then in 2014, the market relocated to the Telegraph Community Center’s parking lot at 5316 Telegraph Ave.
What are Legacy Foods?
Legacy Foods are cultural identity crops, grown by the farmers of those groups where the crops are originated. For example, Black Eyed peas, Purplehull Peas, Crowder Peas, Okra, Yams, all are foods originating in West Africa, where most of the people came from who were taken involuntarily from the African continent.
They are grown based on the soil, environment, climate, and farming culture. Certain foods are grown together in a companion planting scheme where one plant replaces nutrients from the soil that one plant takes out as it grows. If we don't have Black farmers growing the legacy foods, these foods could disappear along with the traditional recipes.
They are grown based on the soil, environment, climate, and farming culture. Certain foods are grown together in a companion planting scheme where one plant replaces nutrients from the soil that one plant takes out as it grows. If we don't have Black farmers growing the legacy foods, these foods could disappear along with the traditional recipes.
Freedom Farmers' Market Cooperative Values
Cooperative businesses are honest, open and fair, behave with integrity, and remain accountable for their actions. All of our profits are returned to owners, producers, makers, and local caterers and donated to our community, or used to strengthen the cooperative.
We believe in the following values:
We believe in the following values:
- Cooperative - we control the profits so they stay within the micro and macro community
- Local - maximizes local resources to meet local needs and invests in local programs
- Ecological - works in harmony with the environment and replenishes soil through growing and post-consumer compost
- Primary - provides for basic community need of access to safe, affordable, healthy food
- Fair - mutually beneficial to all members
- Inclusive - accessible to the whole community especially low income community members
- Interactive - creates opportunities for community interaction through the creation of a safe weekly community market
- Empowering - enables respectful work and positive cultural experiences for the community
- Educational - develops an informed community whose focus is health, wellness, and holistic development of local community
- Reliant - on cooperative members and community support to purchase goods and services, invest in the cooperative, and participate in leadership and development of the cooperative’s infrastructure
Our Partners
The move to Telegraph Community Center (TCC) creates a synergy much like a food hub. Victory Garden Foundation (VGF) manages a lovely garden there; there is an existing food pantry, meal programs, commercial kitchen, and now a farmers market. We are excited to partner with VGF and TCC because they are as passionate about their work as we are, and our partnership encompasses the same mission. www.telegraphcenter.com
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The Freedom Farmers Market is a program of Farms to Grow, Inc. (F2G).
Farms to Grow, Inc is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to working with black farmers and under-served sustainable farmers around the country; committed to sustainable farming and innovative agricultural practices which preserve the diversity and ecological balance of the local environment. Farms to Grow, Inc aims to increase the capacity of under-served farmers to keep their farm operations and establish farming as a viable career alternative for future generations. Under-served farmers may include minority groups, women, and the physically challenged and limited access organic farmers. www.farmstogrow.com |
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