Leah Penniman is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim black people’s ancestral connection to land.
In this episode, I speak with Leah about her personal journey into farming and what it means to cultivate a healthy and just relationship with land through farming. Throughout this inspiring conversation, we celebrate the contributions of black farmers and black growers in America and around the world.
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
1:27 Leah’s relationship with nature
3:55 Landscapes that have shaped Leah’s passion for social justice, farming and food justice
6:02 The connection to land is personal, political and cultural for African-Americans
9:15 How food apartheid shaped her journey to co-founding Soul Fire Farm
12:57 The four elements of a healthy and just relationship with land
16:25 What a healthy and just relationship with land looks like at Soul Fire Farm
18:58 The four wings of the butterfly of transformative social justice
20:42 Why it’s important to remember and center Afro-Indigenous farming practices
24:26 bell hooks, love and trauma in black people’s relationship with nature
31:33 How to talk about food and land justice when living for many is unaffordable right now
35:46 Advice for people who want to take part in food justice in their communities
37:30 Leah’s upcoming book, Black Earth Wisdom
41:49 How to connect with Black Earth podcast
Support and follow Leah’s work:
Soul Fire Farm - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/
Black Earth Wisdom book - https://blackearthwisdom.org/
Support and connect with Black Earth
We are on Instagram, Tiktok, and LinkedIn: @blackearthpodcast
Our website: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Season 3: Designing economies in service of life with Tinuke Chineme
Season 3 Trailer - Innovation Inspired By Nature
Celebrating the end of Season 2: Radical Imagination, Community and Active Hope
How African mythology is changing the environmental movement with Atwooki
Disability justice and Earth care with Valerie Novack
Becoming Black Girl Environmentalists with Wanjiku Gatheru
Understanding abolitionist Earth care with Evie Muir
Planting a homegrown Caribbean movement for climate justice with Derval Barzey
Celebrating Indigenous women’s leadership with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Gardening as a practice in liberation with Poppy Okotcha
Black Earth Podcast: Season 2 Trailer
Celebrating the end of Season 1 with Black Earth team and our listeners!
The values to transform our world with Ife Kilimanjaro
Hurricanes and climate justice in the Caribbean with Marjahn Finlayson
How gorillas and communities can live in harmony with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Reparations for people and nature with Esther Stanford-Xosei
All the feels: understanding eco-anxiety with Jennifer Uchendu
Breathing air, breathing justice with Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
Black Earth Podcast Trailer
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL