Hosted by Schumacher Center for a New Economics, CODEPINK's co-founder Jodie Evans will be moderating a discussion between Leah Penniman and Winona LaDuke.
Leah Penniman saw in the history of Black farming cooperatives a way for Americans of color to re-establish a connection with the land and rebuild a culture disrupted by the systematic exclusion from land ownership. She and her husband established Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY as a training center to introduce young people of color to farming. For Leah, farming is a political act. It is at the same time an act of joy. And it is an act of service. Much of the produce is distributed to families in the nearby city of Troy. Families who pay only what they can. In Leah’s mind, healthy food should be a right, not dependent on income.
Seeds are blessed when planted. Ancestors are remembered. Moon and sun, water and earth are all part of the ritual of farming taught at Soul Fire Farm. Leah envisions a repopulating of rural areas by people of color farming cooperatively, building soil and culture and community. Her vision is compelling, even intoxicating.
Winona LaDuke is an activist, community economist, author and member of the Anishinaabeg peoples. She is an advocate for community land stewardship, local food sovereignty, and regenerative resource use. Her advocacy is persuasive in part because of her ability to communicate stories and ideas of the Anishinaabeg peoples in ways that are both timely and relevant.
She understands that the language surrounding land, resource use, and farming affects how we take care of those things in a very profound way.
On Thursday, October 8 at 2pm Eastern, Winona LaDuke and Leah Penniman will engage in a live, virtual conversation on Zoom, moderated by Jodie Evans. They will reflect on their original talks given current political, economic, and social realities and will then comment on each other’s work.
