Sweet Samara’ Explores Maple Syrup, Abolition, and Black-Led Farming

Following the climate activist film The Aunties, Black Public Media’s AfroPoP Digital Shorts series returns to the theme of land and liberation with its April premiere, Sweet Samara. This short film is now available for streaming on the Black Public Media YouTube Channel.

Sweet Samara, directed by New York City firefighter and Hampshire College alumnus Divad Durant, tells the story of Jalal Sabur and his work at Sweet Freedom Farm. Located in Germantown, New York, about 100 miles north of New York City, this Black-led farm employs sustainable practices. Sabur’s mission extends beyond providing fresh food to families impacted by mass incarceration; he also makes syrups, reconnects with his ancestry, and honors the Indigenous communities who originally cared for the land.

The film beautifully illustrates the connection between maple syrup and the historical abolition movement, where it served as an alternative to sugar produced through enslaved labor. Sabur, whose own father was incarcerated during his childhood, draws a parallel to the modern issue of mass incarceration.

Sweet Samara captures the dedication and hard work involved in building a full-time working farm, highlighting the freedom and liberation it represents for Sabur and his community.

Watch ‘Sweet Samara’: