Coming Home a Hero
Sasakwa is a small town in rural Oklahoma, a population of around 150, about an hour away from Norman. A rural town plagued with poverty, much of the land in Sasakwa is unused. Driving down a dirt road in the country there are a few old houses on the trail, some with kids toys on the front lawn and others with old cars, surrounded with flimsy fencing. Most of the land now only consists of farmland for either grazing or growing. Tammy Gray grew up on a farm in Sasakwa as a kid and lived on land that was largely unused by her family. Having no agricultural background or knowledge to draw from, they weren’t able to profit from the land they owned and lived on. Concerned about people in similar circumstances living in rural areas Gray, a University of Oklahoma alumni, educated herself about the opportunities that are possible with growing locally.
“We had land but we weren’t making money from it.”
Financially, it’s a no-brainer; profit from the land would come by using it to grow food. From a health standpoint, home-grown food would help people better take care of themselves. In 2008, Gray decided to start organizing meetings in rural areas of Oklahoma beginning in her home of Sasakwa. Gray was a on a mission: to eliminate poverty for minorities in rural areas and educate the youth in urban areas. Gray founded the National Women in Agriculture Association, or NWIAA, in February 2008 as an agricultural outreach for minorities who lack the resources to utilize their land.
“Oklahoma is so poverty stricken with unequal opportunities and the primary reason was to bring equal opportunities through food for minorities.”
The organization has since expanded to five states with more on the horizon, as well as three chapters overseas in Africa. One of NWIAA’s focus is on the education of children through agriculture. The opportunities afforded to young kids through NWIAA come in the form of community service and scholarships. The association hires teenagers to work, learn more about agriculture by growing food and to keep them off the streets. Gray also targets children as young as three, instilling the importance of food and how it affects the body.
“Our goal every year is to reach and help at least a thousand or more do what we’re doing at the organization.”
Like other nonprofit organizations, NWIAA began as an idea, but soon grew to what it is today. USDA-NRCS National manager Fred Reaves provides funding for NWIAA and believes the organization is crucial in teaching minorities the importance of agriculture.
“Where this organization differ is that they are actually working with it looks like toddlers as well as all the way up to senior high students and college students.”
Reaves works in D.C. for the White House committee on agriculture, working regularly with the First Lady on issues similar to what NWIAA is dedicated to. The organization was recognized for Black History Month in 2014 as the first minority owned and operated organization in the country.
“I think for the sake of future generations this is a fantastic way to get them involved in agriculture.”
Although NWIAA has made significant strides in educating minorities on agriculture both locally as well as abroad, the nonprofit continues to face struggles expanding on its support nationwide. Gray has reached out to the nonprofit KIPP in hopes of working together. KIPP is a nationwide college-prep public charter school system with over 20 years of experience in educating children. Gray continues, unsuccessfully, reaching out to them.
“KIPP is all over the United States now and we don’t have one here and they still don’t get it. We’re waiting too late most of our children know a curse word at two before they know how to say their ABC’s.”
Working with local churches have also been a hurdle for Gray, as none in Northeast Oklahoma have expressed interest.
“People mention churches to me in this community, every other corner we have churches but we have yet had a church come over to help us except from across town.”
NWIAA organizes a two-day event once a year called Grand Day where kids are given a first-hand experience of agriculture. On day one Gray takes the kids to Sasakwa, the farm that she grew up on.
“It’s so important that they see something more outside of their world because it’s so much out there, it’s so many opportunities.”
To the right of an intersecting graveled pathway is a white house with cars crowding into the front lawn. The workshop begins with guest speakers who are involved in some way or another with agriculture and advise students on opportunities in the field.
Down the dirt road from the house is a pig farm where the kids took a tour. With a stench stronger than that of a zoo, students got to experience an up-close look, and smell, of where our pork products comes from.
The event has been held each year at the Circle R Ranch, a disabilities camp near where Gray grew up. Proprietor George Roberts Jr. and his family became involved with NWIAA to help families that were dealing with some of the same problems as his own.
“We saw the need for other people through our need that we weren’t able to get, so we thought maybe we could do something to help some other family.”
Roberts son was born prematurely with an underdeveloped brain. He partnered with NWIAA after realizing the need for more minority involvement in agriculture.
“It seems like the children are learning more each year by bringing agencies to teach them about what they offer.”
Day two is more hands-on, as students get a chance to plant cabbage in empty soil beds.
While NWIAA prepares for the annual event; inviting guest speakers, spreading the word to local schools and of course preparing the food, 20 year-old Duke Spencer is working in the garden as usual.
“I’ve learned a lot about building things,” Spencer says, “Digging holes, and i ain’t never dug a hole in my life (laughs), planting gardens, tilling the fields, pulling weeds you know stuff like that.”
After getting into trouble back home in Houston, Spencer now lives in Oklahoma City with his mother. Spencer believes what he has learned in NWIAA will go on to help him when he moves out.
“Everything we have, these clothes, it’s all AG (agriculture). What you eat is AG, I just have a more healthy feeling of agriculture now.”
For Gray, Grand Day is another example of how her passion has extended into her work. Gray has spread a philosophy of sharing among-st throughout the organization. From humble beginnings, she returns to Sasakwa each year as a champion for agriculture in her hometown.
“Simply sharing is the best way to educate people about food.”