Sharecropper
The Score Series
Sharecropper, 2025
Michaiyla Carmichael
Original 9 x 12 inches
Marker on paper
After the abolishment of slavery, many freed men and women had little choice but to return to plantations as sharecroppers—farmers working an owner’s land in exchange for living accommodations and a “share” of the profits from the harvest. This practice was used to exploit cheap Black labor, and typically left sharecroppers indebted to land owners.