Oct 30, 2023
In episode 311, Kestrel welcomesJulius Tillery, founder of BlackCotton, to the show.A 5th-generation cotton farmer fromNorth Carolina, Julius founded BlackCotton to help center anduplift the Black community closest to the cotton fields inNorthampton County, North Carolina.
“There’s so many demons and like bad spirits and badtropes around cotton and the industry in general, and you know,just coming from the South, and people having these perspectives ofcotton production relating to slavery — I felt like people wasmaking these notions about cotton and not really knowing anythingabout cotton. And I wanted to start educating people about thecotton business, and even myself and how people like myself — howwe end up in cotton. Families that work in cotton like, what wastheir value-in working in this type of production? And I wanted tochange that outlook to make it look more stronger and prestigiousthan what was assumed.” -Julius
About 6 episodes back, we had achat with the brilliant leader and self-proclaimed solutionistTameka Peoples of Seed2Shirt.This episode was deeply focused on the work Tameka is doing torebuild equitable and just cotton systems & foster the reclamationof cotton acreage for Black farmers.
It’s a really important show that helps provide some ofthe historical context around cotton in the United States, as wellas ways that Tameka and her team are working to reimagine newsystems for cotton.
When guests lead to new guests, I like to acknowledgethat because it’s a beautiful thing. So, thanks to Tameka and ourinteractions, I was led to this week’s guest – Julius Tillery.
This week’s guest was raised amongst cotton fields –growing the fiber is something that runs deep throughout hisancestry. As a 5th generation cotton farmer, he has followed in thefootsteps of generations before, but – with atwist.
Known to many as the Puff Daddy of Cotton, he hasapproached the cotton industry with a focus on remixing what thebusiness looks like today. As a young person, he saw the imminentneed to rebrand cotton, and to help expand the narrative around thefiber away from the harmful alignment it often has with simplybeing a poor man’s crop.
Julius shares more about how he’s reimagining what acotton farmer’s business model can look like today, how he’screating alternative revenue streams, he reveals some of thefinancial challenges farmers face, and tells us how he was able toactually turn fiber from his family’s plants into fashion.
Quotes & links from theconversation:
“And I think that’s what really makes us to the sustainabilitycomponent of clothing and sustainable world in general — is this isactually real stuff that comes off a real farm — and I make itculturally and I make it about environmental where it’s coming froma Black community from Black people that’s growing cotton in anarea, in a time period that we used to be oppressed by this crop,but actually now we’re trying to control it and make it somethingthat we can be proud of and uplifting our community. I hope that inmy community I stand as a symbol of pride and of strength, being afarmer, instead of somebody who was oppressed.” -Julius (10:22)
“What I’m doing with my farm is trying to show pride in being afarmer, and that’s moreso than just culturally — that’s just all ofthe industry and environmentalism. Like, we have to have morerespect for the resources that we create with our planet, so thatwe don’t waste them, so that we don’t have to have bad resourcescome back to us. I’m really into like — why are we importing somany products when people need jobs here in America, people needjobs here in the Western Hemisphere — how can we connect dots so wedon’t have to ship stuff all across the world?” -Julius (15:22)
“Cultivating distress: cotton, casteand farmer suicides in India”, research article that highlightsthe distressing statistics around cotton farmers and suicide(something that Kestrel brings up on the show) — “Nearly 4,00,000farmers committed suicide in India between 1995 and 2018. Thistranslates into approximately 48 suicides every day.”
“I feel like it’s important that as much as possible, we find waysto support sustainable so there’s a reason for it to be in themarketplace.” -Julius (19:27)
“And that’s the only way we gonna be sustainable is these bigcompanies see purpose in dealing with such small companies likemyself. I hope that things can change but you know, I’m reallybeing real about who we are in regards to what’s the culture of theindustry we in. Cause I’m so much smaller than the cotton farmersI’m around but that allows me to make decisions and be someone whocan think more efficiently and more lean.” -Julius (20:05)
“With urban agriculture and the growth of farmer’s markets allacross the country, I believe there’s people seeing the value andworth of growing their own foods and products. So there’s so manypeople that want to learn to grow their own food and products. Somany people want to learn about the business of foods and products.I believe there’s new energy around agriculture and it’s aconstantly growing industry right now. And I think that the way oureducation system has been set up for many years, and even right now— it’s set up to disadvantage agriculture, like it’s telling younot to go into it. Like our college prepatories teaching you to bea doctor, a lawyer, some type of high white-collar job /professional, but I think there’s a lot of things in pop culture, Ibelieve there’s a lot of living arrangements right now that’sbringing new energy to people that grow outdoors. The new look of afarmer is a lot more updated than 30, 40 years ago. You know,farmers are aging, but then there’s young farmers coming in that’susing the internet and really out here networking and connecting,and so there’s a tide turning.” -Julius (30:15)
“I like to compare myself as an ant to the whole cotton industry,the cotton jungle. Ants make mounds, and before long, there’s moremounds than you can count.” -Julius (32:16)
“Rewriting The Story Of Cotton” inOur State
“Meet The Puff Daddy Of Cotton”,Human Footprint episode on PBS that features Julius
