One of the greatest gifts a person can give another is to share their story. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Tillery, North Carolina. Beyond the natural beauty to be enjoyed everywhere you looked, I had the privilege to hear the stories of several members of the Tillery community and experience great cooking at the Resettlement Cafe.
Tillery Plantation was farmed by 150 slaves at its peak and descendants of those slaves as well as other farmers from across North Carolina and the Southeast formed the Tillery Resettlement Community in the 1930’s as part of the New Deal Resettlement. “Persistent racism in the administration of [USDA] programs” led to some farmers of Tillery losing their land and today none of the 300 original families or their children are farming in Tillery.