A documentary directed by WLBT executive producer Kayla Thomas that tells the story of Mississippi’s African American farmers land ownership struggles after enslavement.

The doc, Farming Freedom, is an independent production not affiliated with WLBT that will air in May. It’s a story told through the lens of Thomas’ grandfather, Henry Harris, a retired second-generation farmer whose father, John Harris, managed to buy and keep farmland while Jim Crow laws were still in effect.

“It’s awesome. I’m glad I was able to live long enough to see this celebration. My children are here, [my] grandchildren, [my] great grand, and all of my friends from different places. I’m excited. I know a man is not supposed to cry, but I want to cry,” Henry Harris said.

Harris was able to hold onto his father’s land despite 98% of black farm owners being dispossessed and racially discriminated against by U.S. Department of Agriculture loan programs.

“That’s what the story is about. [It is] to enlighten young people, young black [people], about the struggle. They [are] trying to take the black history out of the school, but they can’t take it out of your heart. All the elderly parents get to tell their children the story. And you know, you’ll never know where you are unless you know where you came from,” Harris said.

“I think it will be super impactful, particularly on people who may have some type of relationship with land already and they may not have grasped the significance of it. I know for me, we grew up living on this land. [I] grew up all my life knowing the story that my grandfather had acquired this land, but I didn’t really grasp the significance of how big of a deal that was or how big of a feat that was, considering the history that came before that,” Thomas said.

Here’s how to watch: The Farming Freedom television premiere is on May 4 at 11 a.m. Add the WLBT app on your Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV streaming devices. If you live in the central/southwest Mississippi viewing area, you can watch it on WLBT Channel 3 at 11 a.m. on May 4.