Mama Tingo could grow anything. Her entire life she’d done just that, but now her way of life, and her land, were being attacked! She needed to use her skills to grow something that no one could EVER steal from her.
Revolution! Mama Tingo’s community was built by Black farmers, and now greedy white developers wanted the land for themselves. They’d tried everything to scare the farmers off the land: bulldozing, fires, and even violence. But they didn’t count on one thing.
She went from door to door, organizing Black farmers to fight back against the land developer. They showed up in court, shouted in the streets, and refused to leave their burned crops and bulldozed homes. Did it work?
Yes! Mama Tingo had not only motivated her people to fight, but she’d shown them how to stand up for themselves. Though she was later assassinated – after fighting her killers off with her machete – her people kept fighting and the government eventually returned the land to the rightful owners.
Mama Tingo never stopped fighting for what was stolen from our people. Her activism started when she was middle-aged, but this didn’t stop her. We must realize no matter our age or education, there is a role for all of us when it comes to liberation. It’s never too late – or too early – to fight!