A farms’ road sign speaks to power

In Centreville, Virginia, Cox Farms uses a simple platform to convey strong political ideas that draw both respect and ire.

Today, their roadside sign reads, “Resist white supremacy.” On the other side it says, “Rise up against injustice.”

The modest-sized, family-owned business said in a Facebook post that they usually broadcast the latest harvest or event occurring on their 40-acre patch, but during the off-season they employ their agency in another way.

According to their statement, they have ruffled many feathers before, with messages in support of Muslims, immigrants and the LGBTQIA community.

A five-member team, Cox Farms said:

We’re not seeking to alienate folks who have different perspectives on tax reform or infrastructure spending. But when it comes to speaking out against systems of oppression and injustice, we see it as our moral responsibility to use or position of privilege and power, along with the tools of our trade and the platforms available to us, to engage visibly and actively in the fight for justice.”

Cox Farms, a white-owned establishment, continues a tradition of solidarity with under-represented groups that is similar sentiments like that of the Quakers who participated in the Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist Movement.

In the past, the Cox family say visitors boycotted their business when they flew rainbow flags. Nonetheless, they cannot be moved.