Leah Penniman, “Farming While Black” author, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm and Heinz Award for the Economy honoree has a deep commitment to sharing regenerative farming best practices and land stewardship with Black, Indigenous and people of color. Addressing racism and injustice in the food system is a central focus of her work.
“When I was a young farmer growing up in the mid-90s and attending agricultural conferences and trainings,” Leah tells host Chris DeCardy, “it was very rare to see someone who looked like me or reflected my heritage, especially among leaders and experts.”
Based in Petersburgh, NY, Soul Fire Farm started as an 80-acre family farm and has since blossomed into a nonprofit training center for Black and brown people to reconnect with the land and equip them with the skills needed to become leaders in the farming and food justice movement.
Whether in her books – “Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists” and “Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land” – or leading youth education programs, urban plantings, mobilization training and a community-supported agriculture program, Leah and her Soul Fire Farm colleagues are inspiring a new generation of young farmers.
“Stewarding our own land, growing our own food, educating our own youth, participating in our own healthcare and justice systems - this is the source of real power and dignity,” Leah says in this episode, presented in partnership with the Heinz Family Foundation.
From the recent well-received “Farming While Black” documentary film to working behind the scenes with Sen. Cory Booker in creation of his Justice for Black Farmers Act, Leah is bringing the long history of Black and brown farmers’ sustainable farming practices into the future.
“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy, and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. This episode presentation is a partnership between The Heinz Endowments and Heinz Family Foundation. Guest inquiries may be made to Scott Roller at sroller@heinz.org.
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