Uncle Fred is an Oakland Bay Area writer who believes that Urban America and its values are killing African Americans and therefore urges tblack Americans to leave city life and buy land in the rural South and Midwestern States.
Uncle Fred is an Oakland Bay Area writer who believes that Urban America and its values are killing African Americans and therefore urges tblack Americans to leave city life and buy land in the rural South and Midwestern States.
January 15, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I just found out that you have linked back to my blog, and I want to let you know that I’m very flattered . I am going to add your Blog to my links as I have found your site to be interesting and informative.
I had never considered before I read through your site, that there might be certain homesteading or rural issues that would be associated with any ethnic or racial group, urban or otherwise.
For many people urban people - Black, White, Asian, Arab, Indian, Hispanic or whatever - moving out of the city is not a realistic option. Perhaps we could discuss this another time if you like.
There is a small Urban Homesteading movement that I didn’t know if you were aware of.
The one source that comes to mind and may be of interest to yourself and your readers is
Extreme Simplicity - Homesteading In The City
Christopher & Dolores Lynn Nyerges
Chelsea Green Publishing Company (2002)
I highly recommend it.
KMG
a.k.a.
Granny Miller
December 28, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Interested in buying a calf for my nephew, who is crazy about the minitures. Let me know if you have any calves available and the price. Thank you.
May 21, 2008 at 3:15 pm
You’ve been MIA for quite some time. I’d love to find out how close you’ve gotten to your goals.
May 24, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Hi Melissa-
I am now a journeyman trucker Melissa. If my credit were better, I could get my farm tomorrow. But now, my next step is to clean it up.
You asked about my progress towards reaching my goals.
1. I’ve moved out of California and I’m living in Oklahoma. Land and homes are cheap there … but I’m “not feeling” Oklahoma like I want to.
2. I’ve met a brother trucker from South Carolina who used to be a president of one of the farming associations … and who thinks a lot like I do. The only problem is that to reach the goal, his mind is focused on trucking … at a time when fuel cost contiue to soar.
3. Mississippi is another state with a “low buy in” that intrigues me. But .. um … it’s … Mississippi.
4. I’d thought about South Western Tennessee … but they have problems with crime, racism, black-on-black violence, and Tornadoes. So … I’ve kind of scratched them off the list.
I’ve seen a lot of the country, but I haven’t had time to really stop and explore like I’d hoped to. I’ve come closer to God … and I’m currently at a place where I’ve made up my mind go get off the road by the end of the summer.
5. Texas … of all places .. has surprised me. There are a lot of small black-owned farms and ranches in Texas … and they look … GOOD. But after coming from the Number One most populated state (California), I’m not sure if I want to move to the 2d most populated state.
I also see a clearer picture of how the Green Movement can be economically and culturally helpful to rural people and to African Americans.
Perhaps one of my biggest disappointments is the fact that such a large percentage of blacks refuse to see how urban American life is stealing their joy.
It’s amazing how deeply Corporate Capitalism has hooked them with that same old dried out, “carrot at the end of the stick.” Even while being beaten into quiet poverty by economic racism, they still seem to dream the same “idle” (or “Idol”) dreams they see in the movies and on T.V.
When Marshall McLuhan coined the term, “The medium is the message”, he may have had it only half right. How the message is packaged IS powerful, but after viewing film, Marx was also right when he said that film is the most powerful tool of propaganda the world has ever seen.
The journey to my hobby farm is spiritual. I am on a pilgrimage. I like to think that it’s a pilgrimage back to baseline … but perhaps it’s to the heart with the purpose of Glorifying God… and all His “chillun”
October 5, 2008 at 12:52 am
What a thoughtful post above. I like your ideas and wish you well with getting to your goal of owning a farm. Where I live is very remote and there are days when I wish it weren’t quite so remote…then I listen to the news and am thankful it is. The world seems a crazy place when you live 458 kilometers from the nearest stoplight.
Good luck with it.