August ’23 Love Notes

One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.
bell hooks

Blessings Dreamers,

As we begin to hear the whispers of fall approaching in the cooler nights and leaves growing orange at their edges, we’re filled with gratitude for the abundance of summer. In previous weeks we’ve welcomed land stewards from all across the country to our immersion programs, sent loads of life-giving food and medicine to our 518 community, and held space for each other’s tender and powerful visions for the future.

Read on for some of our favorite August moments and soul-feeding September offerings!

(Long Breath In) Take a look around at the land below and sky above. Marvel at its capacity to heal, alchemize, and shape-shift.

(Longer Breath Out) Remember that you are made of the same material.

May all the beauty of your life be amplified,

Briana, Brooke, Cheryl, Clara, Crysta, Danielle, Hana’, Hillary, Ife, Jonah, Kai, Leah, Maya, Naima, O’den, Ria, Shay, and Susuyu

Naima Penniman, Director of Education

“My heart is spilling over with gratitude from the confluence of so many dreams, intentions, and efforts to bring the FIRE (Farming in Relationship to Earth) Immersion into fruition. People leading inspiring work in their communities from all over Turtle Island came together to exchange knowledge, power and healing this August. The time we shared was utterly life-changing. It is a deep honor to craft this container alongside my Dreammate Shay, and every SFF staff member and guest facilitator that helped to steward the magic we crafted together.”

Shay Collins, Administrative Program Director

“It’s hard to describe the luscious magic that is FIRE Immersion. From the moment we started planning until welcoming participants this month, I’ve felt so supported and nourished by our amazing team and my beloved Dreammate Naima. It’s been an honor to work administrative magic and help bring the experience into being. Deep gratitude for all the bright lights who participated, facilitated and brought natural exuberance to the land.”

We are so proud to announce that our very own Brooke and Ria have been selected for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Earth Alliance Grassroots Accelerator cohort!

Brooke and Ria will be joining a powerful and diverse group of 27 women leaders from across the continental United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and Hawaii this fall to accelerate and scale the impact of their land-based initiatives to solve our most pressing food and health challenges. These leaders are drawing from their lived experiences and devoted activism to create intersectional, long-lasting and just solutions for our communities.

Congratulations Ria and Brooke!

This month has felt especially tender on the Land.

So many hands, feet, smiles and hearts danced on this spiderweb that is Soul Fire Farm. Our 12th Solidarity Share delivery was just sent out, and we watched the bags float out to the community, OVERFLOWING with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggs, collards and so much more. I mean, we really had to squeeze things into these bags to make it all fit! Can you think of a better feeling?

Parallel to food going out to the community, we continue to invite our community to come in. We hosted our two FIRE immersions of the year! For years, having watched this program develop from the outside has always sparked curiosity and gratitude. But to fully live and breathe an immersion…. Inspiring is an understatement. Words often fall short when speaking on greatness! We nurtured our goats and chickens, learned how to transplant, direct sow, prune high tunnel crops, harvest, as well as facilitate and participate in workshops from celestial navigation, self-care, soil love, mushrooms, action planning, herbal medicine, and so much more. The lessons from the land this time around were very much focused on who the space was being shared with.

We often paused this month, barefoot, staring at the fields, thinking; Abundance. Abundance. Abundance.

Remember the field edge management we described in last month’s Love Notes?

As you can imagine, cutting back all the brush and limbs reaching into the field can create quite a mess with all the big piles of woody material. On many farms, this is often disposed of through burning, releasing the carbon into the atmosphere. We instead capture the carbon on the farm and soils, in the form of woodchips, while utilizing this precious resource for our fungal friends.

Site Team, alongside special guest Emet, rented a wood-chipper from a local hardware store. This thing is a beast, capable of chewing through sizable hardwood logs with ease, in a matter of seconds, spitting out piles on piles of wood chips. As a friend of the farm put it in their safety talk: “It doesn’t give a %$#* about your feelings.” Needless to say, safe operating practices are never more critical. While shoving branches into the maw of churning blades is somewhat terrifying, it really is an incredible machine that we’ve developed some affection for.

With a relatively small amount of fossil fuel, one can transform massive brush piles into neat mounds of woodchips: prime material for mushroom inoculation, mulch, and a host of other uses. The woodchips we made this week will line the ground of our mushroom log laying yard, making a once rocky and uneven patch of ground soft, inviting, and a soon-to-be mini mycelial paradise.

FIRE Immersions

We hosted 2 life-affirming, intergenerational, week-long immersions this month called FIRE – Farming in Relationship with Earth. Aspiring farmers from all over the country came together on these sacred lands to water each other’s dreams for food and land sovereignty.

Fam, it was absolutely incredible! Our hearts were touched and imaginations stretched. Our days were filled with deep belly laughter and healing tears as we skilled up on soil science, mycology, and agroforestry, tended the land, praised our ancestors, and made bold visions for the future. Our wishes for interdependence, generosity and reciprocity with the Earth were affirmed by a giant meteor that streaked across the night sky the night we gathered to stare up at the stars to remember where we came from.

3D Skill Shares

Natural Dye Plants 3D with Keisha Cameron of High Hog Farm
In person at Soul Fire Farm
September 7, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

Pulling vivid, dimensional color from natural materials can be both fascinating and extremely rewarding. It can also serve as a conduit, connecting us to land, place, and people. For millennia, our material landscapes have been layered with colors derived from the environments we inhabit. Spend a day harvesting the rainbow from various sources using techniques that you can easily replicate at home. Guided by Keisha, together we will learn how to properly prepare fabrics and textiles for dyeing, become acquainted with the magic of indigo, and create 7 beautifully dyed mini-skeins of semi-variegated yarn and one cotton drawstring bag.

Learn more and register here!

Crop Planning 3D with Amara Ullauri of Ayni Herb Farm & Larisa Jacobson of Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust
// Virtual – November 2, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET
Details and registration coming soon!

3D workshops are designed to be culturally relevant and safe spaces that center Black, Indigenous and People of Color (read why here).

Community Work & Learn

Each One, Teach One. Many Hands Make Light Work.

August’s Work & Learn Days were jammin’! We had four Work and Learn days where we harvested and dried garlic, and liberated vegetables from weeds.

JOIN US!!! You’re invited to Soul Fire Farm to learn about some of our farming practices while supporting our food sovereignty work and getting your hands on the land.

September 12 – Register here
September 26 – Register here
October 10 – Register here

Learn more

Farm Tours

Our farm tours have been full of whole-hearted stories and meaningful connections.

Soul Fire Farm will host 3 more tours throughout the 2023 farming season so that our beloved community can experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow here.

Next up September 1 and September 29 – Learn more and register here

Black Earth Wisdom Keynote

We just released the Black Earth Wisdom virtual keynote! Leah Penniman and the Soul Fire Farm team weave together the lessons from today’s most respected Black environmentalists, those who have cultivated the skill of listening to the lessons that Earth has whispered to them. This beautifully curated cinematic experience takes viewers on a poetic journey through Black ecological thought.

Watch the trailer, learn more and purchase here

**Our alumnus from our first inaugural cohort, Queen Hollins, of Earthlodge Center for Transformation @earthlodgecenter, has written an incredible book called Earth Doula that was just published!**

Earth Doula is an earth medicine and healing guide for all ages to enjoy. Queen’s powerful writing calls us back into reciprocity and relation with our living Earth mother. Earth Doula guides us on:

How to see nature as our Teacher
How to keep our immune system strong
Reconnect with the Earth
Heal with the land

Queen has said this about her own earth healing path: “When I was a young girl growing up at the tail end of Jim Crow, my grandmother in Mississippi showed me the way to heal my anger and trauma by literally going into the Earth. We call these healing practices “Earthlodging” and Earth Medicine. Now I share this sacred practice with the world.” Her work there is based on Black Southern Indigenous Healing Practices she learned from her grandmother as a child. The book restores us to a state of gratitude and interdependence at a moment when humanity is running out of time. Earth Doula is being published by Ecocene which is a worker and community-owned cooperative school for the Earth. It is part of their first printing series for their newly established School Press which will be released in Spring 2024.

Please consider supporting Earth Doula’s publication by donating to the Go Fund Me and sharing information about her critical work.

FUNDER EQUITY

One of the many challenges with the “nonprofit industrial complex” is that funders may leverage their resources to exacerbate existing disparities or attempt to control movement work. We created a guide for funders who proclaim an equity commitment, encouraging them to invest in the Deep South, fund organizations led by and accountable to Black and Indigenous people, and to defer to frontlines communities as experts in their fields. Philanthropy is not benevolence, it’s the returning of wealth stolen from our communities, and we ask donors to hold their privilege with humility. Soul Fire Farm also has a practice of turning away and redirecting significant amounts of funding to comrade organizations, recognizing the importance of ecosystemic collaboration. We welcome your ideas to improve the funder guide, and encourage you to share and adapt it. http://bit.ly/funderequity

Alumni Spotlight: Nadine Nelson

Nadine Nelson is embarking on an unique solo train tour across America. She is workshopping her Caribbean cooking cabaret which provides a unique interactive experience, blending Jamaican cuisine and music. More than a performance, it’s a participatory workshop in which the audience contributes to the evolving narrative of her show. This interactive concept transforms every performance into a cultural dialogue that not only informs her forthcoming cabaret but also immerses the audience in the rich tapestry of Jamaican identity.

Central to the performance is Nelson’s creative rendition of Bob Marley’s “Stir it Up,” with lyrics cleverly improvised around the cooking of curry. Audiences are invited not only to watch but to participate actively in the cooking and singing, contributing to the show’s development.

Earlier this year, Nelson enjoyed a rewarding collaboration with fellow Soul Fire Farm alum Sagdrina Jalal, which further infused her work with elements of community and food justice advocacy with producing 3 events at Sagdrina’s new event space. This enriching experience, along with the unique inputs from participants engaging and responding to various epicurean occasions, contributes to the dynamic and evolving nature of her work.

From city to city, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and New Orleans, Nelson will also research meals and migration, paying particular attention to how recent immigration influences regional cuisine. She continues her passionate efforts in New Haven, hosting cooking workshops to promote food literacy and nutritional education.

PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

Earlier this year, Soul Fire Farm was awarded a $25,000 grant by our partners, RAFI-USA, in an effort to move grant funding in equitable ways to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color led organizations engaging in climate political education + advocacy.

Through a re-granting process, we are moving these funds to community members engaged in policy efforts! We are adopting an expansive definition for policy advocacy, so any and all of these fit the eligibility criteria for this grant!
$25,000 will be available in total in this funding pool.
Grant awards will range from $500-$2,500.

Farm Bill Reading:
The Farm Bill Is an Opportunity to Address Climate Change and Structural Racism

Farm Bill Resources:
Platforms to sign-on to + utilize for political education:
HEAL Food Alliance Farm Bill Priorities
NBFJA Farm Bill Priorities
2023 National Family Farm Coalition Farm Bill Platform
RAFI-USA’s Farm Bill platform (including educational videos)
New York State:
Equity Advocates, Black Farmers United, NYS and Food for the Spirit Farm Bill Platform

“I was honored to be able to join the Rapp Road community this month for their first in person fundraiser since COVID-19.”

“In 1930, African-American sharecroppers from Shubuta, Mississippi moved to Albany, NY in 1930 with their pastor Louis Parson in hopes of building a life free of debt and racial violence. They purchased a marshy 14-acre parcel for $400, started to farm, and used their earnings to build homes and expand their landholdings. I was first connected to the Rapp Road community in 2019 when I attended an Albany Planning Board meeting along with other community members to oppose the development of apartment buildings on Rapp Rd which would have threatened the very character of the community. It brought me so much joy to learn that they are doing well and have secured additional parcels of land for community. Soul Fire Farm is proud to be in partnership with our Rapp Road family.”

~ Cheryl Whilby- Co-Executive Director of Communications and Development

Learn about New York State’s Scoping Plan!

We would like to invite you to attend a presentation specifically for Soul Fire Farm community, including staff, alumni, allies and community members, about the recently finalized Scoping Plan issued by New York’s Climate Action Council. The purpose of this presentation is to increase general awareness of the Scoping Plan and respond to questions members of our community (YOU) might have about any part of it. To join for any part or all of this event, scheduled for Thursday September 14 at 3:30pmET, register here.

New Report on Misogynoir Released:

A new report has been released by three anonymous Black women who are sharing personal accounts of the harsh realities they faced, including violence against them, their families, and their organizations as a result of the outward-facing justice work that they do. These brave women also offer solutions to uphold safety and peace, and call upon all of us to protect and support Black women on the front lines. Learn more about the We All Deserve Safety and Peace report and download a copy here.

Soul Fire Hens Available this Fall!

We will be re-homing our laying hens in November. Hens are “red sex link,” 1 years old, healthy, and laying well. They will continue to lay delicious brown eggs for the next few years! We have 45 hens available and they are “first come first serve.” Fill out this form to reserve them and choose a date in November to pick them up from Soul Fire Farm. Please bring your own crate to transport the animals.

RoadTrip Nation & Empowered State Episode 3: A More Equitable Revolution with Cheryl
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Projects Soil Testing with Soul Fire Farm with Briana

The food system was built on the stolen land and stolen labor of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and people of color. Our ecosystem partners, Northeast Farmers of Color Network and National Black Food and Justice Alliance are claiming our sovereignty and calling for reparations of land and resources so that we can grow nourishing food and distribute it in our communities. The specific projects and resource needs of BIPOC land-based projects are listed on Northeast Farmers of Color Network and National Black Food and Justice Alliance’s respective maps linked above. We are so excited about these powerful opportunities for people to people solidarity.

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