Returning Home To Dirt And Clay. - Brief Article - Review - movie reviews

The 60-minute documentary film Homecoming ... Sometimes I Am Haunted by Memories of Red Dirt and Clay (Independent Television Service and the National Black Programming Consortium) is, in the words of its director, Charlene Gilbert, "the story of family, of black farmers, and of land and liberty." Gilbert begins by taking a broad look at black farmers in the early 1900s and then presents an intimate view of her cousin's farm in Montezuma, Ga., to position her family's story within the agrarian milieu. Combining extensive archival footage with the testaments of farmers, family members, government officials and academics, Homecoming (which airs February 3 on PBS) offers a detailed look into the past and future of black farm life in the United States.

A resounding declaration by Malcolm X is one of the first voice-overs to be heard in Homecoming: "Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice and equality." Georgetown University professor Marsha Darling--contending that liberty has been the catalyst driving blacks to acquire land--concurs. Noting that by 1910, almost every Southern state had disenfranchised black male voters, Darling explains how land ownership became one of the few viable means of empowerment.

But such empowerment had its limits. The film goes on to examine the obstacles that have contributed to the declining numbers of black farmers. There is extensive footage of newspaper clippings that announce the closing of black banks and subsequent foreclosures on black farms. The damaging effects of the Depression and the unwillingness of the Farm Security Administration to aid blacks under the New Deal is described. Gilbert presents footage that proves that U.S. government officials colluded to undermine black farmers. The methods used to disenfranchise are no less shocking than the resulting statistics: In 1910, 15 million acres of land was farmed by blacks; by 1984, this acreage had been reduced to 4 million.

Still, Gilbert's coverage of her cousin's farm provides hope. Warren James' steadfast optimism and dedication to his land prevail in the face of financial hardships and social inequities. He concedes that discriminatory loan practices, the actions of white farmers, and the weather's unpredictability have hindered his efforts, but he holds strong to the belief that he will survive. Gilbert illustrates that James' family, friends and community are his pillars. It is their support, coupled with his own determination, that enables James to endure in the business of farming.

On one hand, Homecoming is a survey of black farmers in the 20th century; on the other, it represents Gilbert's journey to rediscover a part of her heritage. Her narration is passionate as she reminds us of the importance of "having a home place where you could sink your roots and hold on." For Gilbert, "holding on" means tilling her small garden plot in Philadelphia; for Warren James and the few remaining black farmers, it means fighting for their land and, thus, for their liberty.

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