In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Mónica Ortiz Uribe, the Regional Diversity Reporter for the El Paso Times. Mónica recently shared the fantastic story of Shahid Mustafa, who grew up in Chicago’s southside — and now is carrying on a little-known legacy of Black farmers in southern New Mexico.
Shahid moved to Las Cruces to manage Mountain View Market Co+Op, which closed its doors in December of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, he works as a full-time independent farmer, leasing a one-acre plot in La Union. He also farmed in Socorro, Texas, and in Las Cruces. The path that brought him here is full of twists and turns, and we’re so happy to be joined by Shahid this week, as well, to share his story — what drew him to Southern New Mexico … and what kept him here .
We’ll talk to Mónica about how she approached this story and what she wanted to capture, and dig into the long, long legacy of Black farmers sowing the land in southern Doña Ana County.
Damien Willis is a Lead Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun News. He can be reached at 575-541-5443, [email protected] or @DamienWillis on Twitter.
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