Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson (he/him) and his family, originally from Liberia, are known figures in the African and refugee communities of California. Since arriving in California in the 1970s, Roosevelt has been uplifting farming as a tool to reconnect California-based African refugees with their cultural roots and provide a means of economic development. Roosevelt has been involved in a long list of community projects, and is also politically engaged, participating in United Nations gatherings to advocate for refugee work programs. As an active member of the California Farmer Justice Collaborative, he was instrumental in passing California’s Farmer Equity Act, but like many of us, knows and critiques its limitations. Roosevelt’s priority is to create something that works for poor folks. He sees good intentions in farm incubator programs and wonders whether these programs are “designed for poor people.” He senses that programs like these work best for folks who already have some level of connection, and often some level of capital or farming exposure; participants join to seek more formal training and then start up a farm business for production. This doesn’t work for houseless urban folks, or people who don’t know anything about farming because they have been displaced from their lands or are dealing with historical trauma related to farming and violent systems of oppression. “I’ve seen the refugee crisis,” Roosevelt says, “I’ve seen how the Iraq and Bosnia wars and conflicts have devastated my community’s experiences.” For these reasons and more, Rev. Tarlesson has spearheaded the creation of an autonomous land stewardship project called U-Farm and Home in collaboration with over 80 Black families and individuals.

U-Farm and Home | Facebook