Living With Nature In The African Diaspora

A Lecture and Community Conversation at the Historic Hampton House

Celebrate “Homegrown Achiever” Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, Associate Professor of History, Carnegie Mellon University and the author of Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora (2008). Dr. Fields-Black will speak about her research into the history of West African rice production. Mangrove rice farming techniques used hundreds of years ago by farmers in West Africa’s Rice Coast later played a key role in the commercial rice industries in the American South.

 

The event is free, but registration is requested and space is limited. For tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/DeepRootsMiami

Other speakers will discuss current environmental issues threatening our land and communities. Did you know that climate change and sea level rise are likely to trigger a new wave of gentrification in our area? How can we come together to recognize the value of our land and our heritage? How can history and culture help us defend our place in Miami?

Registration and Coffee

**9:45am **

**Opening Remarks and Welcome Dr. Hilary Jones, Associate Professor, Department of History and African & African Diaspora Studies Program, FIU **

**10:00am - 11:00am **

**The Work of Our Hands: Rice and Rice Farmers in West Africa’s Upper Guinea Coast **Lecture by Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black

Go on a journey to West Africa’s Upper Guinea Coast to learn about one of Africa’s best kept secrets, agricultural technology that made the Upper Guinea Coast West Africa’s “bread basket” hundreds of years before the trans-Atlantic slave trade.** **

**11:00am - 11:15am **

Coffee Break

**11:15am - 12:15pm **

**What is Our Land Worth? **Brief Presentations and Small Group Discussions

Hear about the threats from sea level rise in Miami-Dade and how it is likely to affect property values and residential patterns. Discuss strategies to organize and prioritize.

**12:15pm - 12:30pm **

**Closing Discussion and Wrap-Up **

12:30pm - 1:00pm

Book Signing with Dr. Fields-Black

FIU Atlantic History Colloquium | FIU African & African Diaspora Studies Program | FIU Ecohumanities for Cities in Crisis Project