You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks

The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. 2026 Food for Thought lunchtime lecture series continued on Thursday, March 19, when Thordis Simonsen presented "You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks." Simonsen discussed the research and editorial process behind "You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks." Her book documents the life of an African American woman born in 1911 and raised on a farm in Monroe County, whose family worked to secure and maintain land ownership during the Jim Crow era. Simonsen explained how she knew Sara Brooks, what prompted the book project, how her relationship with Sara Brooks evolved, and why Sara Brook’s story is important. The presentation included Simonsen's 1970s photographs of the vestiges of the mule-farming way of life in the Black Belt that Sara Brooks described. Food for Thought 2026 is sponsored by the Friends of the Alabama Archives.