STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE JUNE 23, 2021 PUBLIC RELEASE OF THE VERMONT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION REPORT REGARDING ILLEGAL DISCRIMINATION BY THE VERMONT STATE POLICE AGAINST THE CLEMMONS FAMILY FARM DIRECTOR, FAMILY AND FARM
On behalf of my parents, all who support us, and as President of Clemmons Family Farm,
I want to thank our friends, neighbors, and allies for the outpouring of support and encouragement in response to the Vermont Human Rights Commission’s report. We are inspired and comforted by our community’s feedback and shared dismay.
For 60 years, our family has held and stewarded this land that we love with the knowledge that only 0.4% of farms in the United States remain held by African-Americans because of racial discrimination and violence. With everything we have been through, our holding onto this historic property has always been, and always will be, an intentional act of activism and our way of showing love for our community and for future generations.
With the June 23, 2021 release of the news, our family faces ongoing potential threats and has had to prioritize our safety, the safety of our collaborating artists and visitors, and the safety of the farm itself. Even so, we are not letting this stop us from continuing to do the important work we have been doing for six decades. As one of the few African American-led nonprofit organizations operating in Vermont, the three-part mission of Clemmons Family Farm is to honor the legacy of Jackson and Lydia Clemmons and:
Our family, collaborating artists, staff and visitors all deserve to thrive in a community where everyone feels safe, protected and valued. In the coming weeks, we will be formulating a plan of action together with you-- our neighbors, members of the community, and state and local leaders-- to join us in our efforts to preserve this precious cultural treasure and to create a better Vermont.
Thank you to all who stand in solidarity with us.
To learn more about the Clemmons Family Farm, visit: Clemmons Family Farm: A Rare Gem
To read a recent article in VT Digger, visit: Panel: Troopers discriminated against Clemmons Family Farm director - VTDigger
To read the statement of support from our major arts and culture donors in Vermont and New England, visit: Vermont funders: We stand with the Clemmons Family Farm - VTDigger
To read a pastoral statement of support from authorized ministers in the United Church of Christ, visit: A pastoral statement in support of Clemmons Family Farm | The Charlotte News (charlottenewsvt.org)
To read the statement of support from the Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (REAL), visit: Statement — Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (realamoillevt.org)
Lydia Clemmons, PhD, MPH
I want to thank our friends, neighbors, and allies for the outpouring of support and encouragement in response to the Vermont Human Rights Commission’s report. We are inspired and comforted by our community’s feedback and shared dismay.
For 60 years, our family has held and stewarded this land that we love with the knowledge that only 0.4% of farms in the United States remain held by African-Americans because of racial discrimination and violence. With everything we have been through, our holding onto this historic property has always been, and always will be, an intentional act of activism and our way of showing love for our community and for future generations.
With the June 23, 2021 release of the news, our family faces ongoing potential threats and has had to prioritize our safety, the safety of our collaborating artists and visitors, and the safety of the farm itself. Even so, we are not letting this stop us from continuing to do the important work we have been doing for six decades. As one of the few African American-led nonprofit organizations operating in Vermont, the three-part mission of Clemmons Family Farm is to honor the legacy of Jackson and Lydia Clemmons and:
- PRESERVE and maintain the Clemmons farm in Charlotte, Vermont as an educational prototype, and a model for preserving other African American owned agricultural land, cultural and heritage assets in the U.S.
- EMPOWER a growing network of Vermont's Black artists and culture bearers with opportunities for professional development, advocacy, visibility, networking, paid engagements, collective healing, and a safe haven for creativity that helps them to thrive.
- BUILD a loving multicultural community around African American/African diaspora history, arts and culture.
Our family, collaborating artists, staff and visitors all deserve to thrive in a community where everyone feels safe, protected and valued. In the coming weeks, we will be formulating a plan of action together with you-- our neighbors, members of the community, and state and local leaders-- to join us in our efforts to preserve this precious cultural treasure and to create a better Vermont.
Thank you to all who stand in solidarity with us.
To learn more about the Clemmons Family Farm, visit: Clemmons Family Farm: A Rare Gem
To read a recent article in VT Digger, visit: Panel: Troopers discriminated against Clemmons Family Farm director - VTDigger
To read the statement of support from our major arts and culture donors in Vermont and New England, visit: Vermont funders: We stand with the Clemmons Family Farm - VTDigger
To read a pastoral statement of support from authorized ministers in the United Church of Christ, visit: A pastoral statement in support of Clemmons Family Farm | The Charlotte News (charlottenewsvt.org)
To read the statement of support from the Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (REAL), visit: Statement — Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (realamoillevt.org)
Lydia Clemmons, PhD, MPH
