Sanford: Agricenter cotton yields a reminder of real meaning of Thanksgiving
Otis Sanford: “...farm life historically for African Americans in the South was one of hardship and despair. And, despite our racially-divisive political climate, we must not fail to teach children today that it was Black labor that made cotton king in America and an international commodity that filled textile factories, clothed the world and created enormous wealth for others.” (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)
Otis Sanford
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu. Follow him on Twitter @otissanford.
“The truth is, farm life historically for African Americans in the South was one of hardship and despair.”
Topics
Agricenter International cotton Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Related stories
Innovation, technology move ag industry forward
New breakthroughs and technologies are helping transform agriculture, and the Memphis area has become an innovation hub thanks to work being done at Agricenter International and local companies.
Sanford: 44 years after ‘Roots,’ we still can’t handle the truth about racism and slavery
It remains unclear how far teachers can go in discussing how racial injustice in the past impacts our society today. Republican lawmakers say that discussion is off limits. I say it is necessary.
Sanford: We can reclaim the unity that followed 9/11
After the most horrific attack on American soil in our lifetime, we stood unified against a common enemy. And, despite our differences today, I believe we can do so again.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.