Tameka Peoples of Seed2Shirt on rebuilding equitable + just cotton systems & fostering the reclamation of cotton acreage for Black farmers

Conscious Chatter

In episode 306, Kestrel welcomes Tameka Peoples, the founder and CEO of Seed2Shirt, to the show. A Black-woman-owned vertically integrated ethical apparel production & boutique cotton merchant firm, Seed2Shirt is focused on rebuilding equitable systems and institutions.

“You’re seeing laws put into place like the 1862 Homestead Act where there were millions of acres of land just given to white families. And Black people were at the same time, being burned out of their communities. What I mean by that is — there’s elements to this thing that we call fashion — that’s connected to raw commodity that’s connected to land that is a part of the blood, sweat and tears that Black people have put and poured into this economy and poured into this country.” -Tameka

When we look back at agriculture in the United States, a lot of the origins of farming in this country were built on an extractive, harmful, and extremely damaging history. So much was stolen and stripped – from lives to land to livelihoods.

We don’t talk enough in the fashion industry about its true origins – about who helped build the cotton industry – a textile that has been deemed and marketed as: *the fabric of our lives*.

From 1765 to 1861, during the years of Chattel Slavery, $528 billion dollars worth of cotton were farmed – mind you, this happened with the use of enslaved labor.

Fast forward through layers and layers of other significant historical moments to where we are today. While the cotton industry in the United States was literally grown by Black folks, today – the numbers say there are less than 1% Black Cotton Farmers.

This week’s guest understands so much depth of this history – and when she discovered she couldn’t buy a t-shirt made by Black folks using cotton farmed by Black folks, she decided she had to make one.

This was the seed that has continued to grow and flourish into what she is doing today – while many may call it conscious fashion, for her – it’s so much more than that. As a self-proclaimed solutionist, she’s rebuilding equitable systems and institutions, with intention and care, while supporting Black farmers along the way.

Quotes & links from the conversation:

• “Yes, they love Black images and Black body and Black fashion and they use us to sell to people for industry. But what part of that industry do we own and control?” -Tameka (9:45)

• “You’re seeing laws put into place like the 1862 Homestead Act where there were millions of acres of land just given to white families. And Black people were at the same time, being burned out of their communities. What I mean by that is — there’s elements to this thing that we call fashion — that’s connected to raw commodity that’s connected to land that is a part of the blood, sweat and tears that Black people have put and poured into this economy and poured into this country. So, we are building back land elements, we’re building back equity for Black cotton farmers, we’re building an institution that portions of it we control that they can plug into, and then, we’re part of larger institutions that allow farmers that are in this space allow their cotton to move through.” (14:29) -Tameka

• “Everyone has a responsibility to figure out what their role is in doing their part. You walk around anywhere and there’s a recycling bin and they’re encouraging — hey, if that’s a plastic bottle, or if that’s paper or cardboard, put it here. So, everyone plays a role — we believe our programs really can change the world for the better.” (21:18) -Tameka

• “This is about bringing back livelihood, honor and justice into Black farming, Black cotton farming, Black production, and we can’t wait for anyone else to do it for us.” (38:04) -Tameka

• Bridgeforth Family Farms, Black owned & operated farm since 1877 (Seed2Shirt partner)

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