Town Hall – Black Farmers in Sussex County
Learn about past discriminatory practices against Black farmers and present-day legislation on the federal and state level benefitting both Black and white farmers, the threat of housing over-development and the decline of farms, and how the few remaining Black farmers continue to play an important role in Delaware’s economic development despite political, economic and social discrimination.
Lewes and Sussex County have a rich history of Black communities such as Belltown, Jimtown, Rabbits Ferry and others beginning with Levin Thompson, born to a Maryland free family and who arrived in Delaware in 1794. He purchased a 200-acre farm and timberland east of Laurel and named it Thompson’s Beginning.
Jessica Clark will present a PowerPoint titled “Black Farmers in Sussex County and Other Area History” on January 14, 2025 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 at the Lewes Library.
The presentation is an update of the article titled “What It’s Like to be a Black Farmer in Sussex County,” published in August 2024 in Volume 12 of Black Voices, a quarterly publication of the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice. Mr. James “Tim” Harmon, a Belltown resident and a long-term generational farmer, one of two Sussex County farmers featured in Black Voices, will be present to answer any farming questions. The presentation will also include other Black history of the area.
