Land-based folks committed to making space for Black, Brown, Indigenous & other People of Color

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has this commitment in their heart (see the Subject heading), and who is/are following through on this commitment. Also, I can't be the only BIPOC who is connected to the land. There have to be at least a few more folks like me, out there somewhere. If you know of them, please let them know of me! And as a female, I require the strong presence of at least 1 or 2 other females, of any color, in a land-based organic farm / permaculture community setting. Now that I've put this out there, I understand that the Universe will answer in the Affirmative. Maybe not through permies dot com, but somehow, it will come to pass! Peace, blessings & wise discernment.

Where are you located, Alma?  I may be needing a place to park a small RV for part of 2021 in exchange for work.  You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I have Native American ancestry on both sides of my family.  My great-great grandmother on my mom's side was Cherokee.  If you click on my name, you can read my profile, though I don't mention ancestry there.  Thanks so much!

suzanne, when i write of being BIPOC and connected to the land, i do not mean that i literally have a current location on the land. rather, historically and spiritually, i am deeply connected to the land, to Mother Earth. i grew up on the land, as did my african and american indian ancestors. but like so many others, i have been dislocated from the land, legally and financially, in my adulthood. as a black and brown indigenous person, i have not thus far been able to culturally reclaim ancestral land, nor to earn enough money to buy back ancestral land. still, my life journey is being blessed in every moment. together with a few select other BIPOC folk and perhaps a few conscious and fully committed non-BIPOC allies, i and they - we, together with each other - will be guided to find our place of being, of interdependence, our land to live on and to daily care for each other and care for Mother Earth. To protect our DNA and our very humanity, we may well be led to lands more to the south, to other countries. I am once again culling my belongings. where i'm guided, i may have to hike, have to walk to get there. Perhaps a donkey, mule or horse friend may assist me. Maybe not. i am following Spirit, the Creator, and my gut, my discernment. in this way, i will find my home, my place of refuge. i'm in my sixties, but my Mother Earth claimed me when i was 3 or 4 years old. please send your email, if you feel called to, within. then we might share more viscerally and can determine whether or not our paths converge. Life is Sacred, Spiritual, Eternal. All is well.

Are you familiar with Soul Fire Farm? https://www.soulfirefarm.org/
Or possibly Sankofa Farm Academy?
https://www.sankofafarmsllc.com/sankofa-farms-agricultural-academy

They are both groups I'm aware of who are actively pursuing what you're talking about. I'm a white guy though so all I can offer is those two groups that I've heard of.

s.lowe - thanks much for the info. yes, i've heard of and have contacted soulfire farm. they seemed to be interested only in folks of "non-dominant" genders, and in folks much younger than myself. to each their own. i haven't heard of the sankofa farm, so thanks for sharing. i'll check it out. blessings!

s.lowe - just an fyi. you wrote that you're "a white guy," followed by these words: "all [you] can offer." Long ago, i was powerfully reminded by Hopi elders' message and by witnessing Saami (reindeer herder) people, in person, when they sang and played their surviving small drum at an indigenous peoples' convening at the United Nations. I was reminded of the following: White is one of the 4 Sacred colors of humans. And white people are indigenous to northern/western Eurasia. The Saami People are the only remaining, fully intact culture of indigenous white people that i know of. Perhaps there are others, as well.

So, as an indigenous person, you have a lineage that goes back directly and powerfully to the Earth, just as all humans have. The Hopi elder's message is that all colors of people (represented by the main 4: Black Yellow Red & White) are destined to reunite together in peace, respect and platonic love. This Hopi elder said that when we humans of all colors remember this and return to unity, we will each bring with us the part of Sacred Knowledge we each were given by The Creator of All Life, to protect. And when we share and reconnect these "separate" parts of The One Body of Sacred Knowledge, what will result from that reunification is something so special and so transformative, so empowering and uplifting, that we cannot now image it. But i, for one, look forward to that day, to that moment when we do this, all together. and i try to live my life in every moment, to help bring about the coming needed Unity of All as One. what you offered is important to have offered. many thanks. and i'm sure there's more! Peace & Blessings.

Thanks for explaining, Alma.  It wasn't clear in your first post that you were looking for a place yourself.  I hope you find the perfect place!  I saw a thread here about a way to inherit land from other permies.  Have you read that?

Thank you for saying so Mary. I know, in my bones, that I am an indigenous being on my home planet. I also recognize that when a person asks for bipoc perspectives they are often explicitly not asking for someone from my background's perspective, and I respect that. People from my background do not have a great track record of acting in the best interest of all life.

The gentleman who started Sankofa sounds like a very awesome dude. I would strongly encourage you to reach out to him. The interview that I read with him he was very clear about wishing to use a.reconnection to the land as a tool to uplift and empower his community.

Suzanne, if you're referring to permies at Paul's land in Montana being able to leave their individual plots to other permies, yes, I've read about that. But if you're referring to something else, please let me know how i can find out more. Thanks!

S. LOWE - You might notice that just below all my posts, i do have a message that says "I welcome connection with folks of all colors." Just sayin'!

Perhaps it was about SKIP https://permies.com/wiki/skip-pep-bb

R Ranson - thanks, that makes sense: SKIP.

S Lowe - i checked out the Sankofa Farm Academy. It's specifically dedicated to helping young male African Americans, about 14 - 24 years of age, in two counties near Durham NC. And I'm so glad! Mr. Kamal Bell is the 30 yr old Black man (and Ph. D. candidate) who - in addition to being a responsible husband and father - has accepted the profound responsibility of being the father figure / role model for all the young men in his STEM-AG diversified farm program. These young men have been earning credentials as Certified Beekeepers, maintaining an impressive number of healthy bee colonies on the farm; harvesting, marketing and selling honey; and growing, harvesting and selling many types of vegetables. They are doing all of this through the lens of learning and applying principles from African history and from traditions within African agricultural practices. They are building strong foundations that are guiding them to live lives full of meaning and purpose. Please donate to the Sankofa Farm Academy if you can.  

Hi Mary,

I'm starting a small eco-hamlet here in rural North Carolina, and antiracism is one of our five founding values.  I'd love to talk to you more and see if what we're creating down here could be what you're looking for!

Here's a link to our listing on IC.org:  https://www.ic.org/directory/rainwater-collective/

I can't figure out how to attach our vision statement (which has quite a bit more info on our approach to antiracism and examining systemic oppression in general), so if your interest is piqued please reach out to me by email: rachelwatersong@fastmail.com

Take care!
Rachel

Thanks for reaching out, Rachel! I'll contact you via email, and will also check out your website. All the best. ~ Mary

We are looking to create an earth based community for BIPOC folks on the Olympic peninsula of Washington state [Clallum county, Jefferson County, etc.] Are you still looking?

George Lafayette wrote:We are looking to create an earth based community for BIPOC folks on the Olympic peninsula of Washington state [Clallum county, Jefferson County, etc.] Are you still looking?

Hey, I'm on the Olympic peninsula. This is our profile on ic-
https://www.ic.org/directory/rainforest-commons/
We are looking for members. We aren't solely BIPOC, but we are explicitly anti-racist and passionate about decolonization.

I am a research scientist who works on related policy issues internationally with my work in STEAM Education.
My background is Taino and I 'have' land in what was the north eastern most areas of Cherokee territory.
If you care to reach out, please do.

Mary Duncan wrote:I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has this commitment in their heart (see the Subject heading), and who is/are following through on this commitment. Also, I can't be the only BIPOC who is connected to the land. There have to be at least a few more folks like me, out there somewhere. If you know of them, please let them know of me! And as a female, I require the strong presence of at least 1 or 2 other females, of any color, in a land-based organic farm / permaculture community setting. Now that I've put this out there, I understand that the Universe will answer in the Affirmative. Maybe not through permies dot com, but somehow, it will come to pass! Peace, blessings & wise discernment.

Grand Rising and Good Morning! I am developing a nonprofit wellness center called Christlike AgroTourism for Racial Equality (C.A.R.E.) Wellness Center & Services in the PNW. I, like you, am seeking a safe and empowering space for BIPOC and allies to travel to, lodge, farm and participate in holistic therapies like yoga, meditation, martial arts, and other crafts to reconnect to Nature and God. Please visit www carewellnesscenter org for more details or contact me directly.

I arrived in Washington late 2019 for a permaculture apprenticeship with caucasians who offered a work-exchange but it turned out to be some weird dynamic of trying to exploit me, watching me work, baiting me with a promise of land to start my wellness center. Maybe some sadistic ideas of being Master even though they themselves did not earn the land they were on, I dunno. So I know the road to land ownership for BIPOC isn't easy and am more planted in communities who work to create just spaces for POC, not exploitation, egocentric privilege, or superiority complexes.

I currently work full-time for the state, volunteer with other local partners, and am fundraising for farmland to headquarter the wellness center and summer rehab program in Thurston county. I do follow and stay connected with Soul Fire Farm, GRuB, Holistic Health Farm and other small local farms and native communities, in order to broaden my knowledge base and work with other like-minded partners who focus on the growth and rehabilitation of the black community. As someone who also suffers disabilities, I've learned a lot about tools and techniques to overcome trauma and barriers in both my personal life and for the minority populations I work with in my profession. I've worked with foster youth, women in treatment, disabled elderly, inmates and disabled persons under community protection. My line of work is in behavioral health and wellness but I combine it with my love of hospitality and tourism.

Please feel free to stay connected with me. I'm currently looking for land owners who have the integrity to put agreements in writing, however creative that agreement is, and are not afraid of a person's faith in God and Enlightenment. I'm also open to board members, and grants to continue this work and try my best to create an intentional community that is inclusive, provides methods of recovery for Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and does more work in therapy, sustainability, and community empowerment for BIPOC.

LOL ..... this has been my question as well for the pass four years now, what I found is that many BIPOC tend to get into close clicks/groups
this is not a bad thing but somewhat isolating for others that haven't found others do to their locations or lack of digital exposure (facebook/insta/etc) ......also it  feels that group thinking (aka drinking their own kool-aid) is an epidemic and I personally do not go for it, this
is not a BIPOC only phenomenon though....also principles, political and historical clarity is at least for me key in making connections, I find  that most lack it and mutual precarity is not enough for a connection.

I also think that the population ratio and land access plays its role, add to that access to knowledge, example I found out about permaculture 10 years ago, I then continue to search for more ag systems like "rudolf steiner biodinamica, agroforestry, syntropic farming, Indiginous ag systems form africa, asia, india, north-central-south america" (i like reading and do not watch any tv..lol...i'm on my bell hooks goals program..lol) and one can imagine that I could have met BIPOC and I did, not allot but the main issue that I notice was that non where from north america lol so it is a trip because I have to connect leaving a chunk of my life lived  experiences out in order to connect.  

their is also the issue of "BIPOC" this alphabet soup is a problem in my opinion because it starts more group thinking and that serves no one but
capitalism ....lol... people fail to understand that hegemony is not for our best interest. Adding to this is the many that are just surface level identity
flag waiving souls and the masses of positive-spiritualism-ism with zero seriousness in revolutionary(going to the root) practice.

also  age plays its part,  i have difficulty finding "gen x" folks that are into ag practices with similar political/historical clarity and practice.
I do see more millennials and gen z entering to permaculture.

the last one for me is this digital space, it has served more to isolate than connect but I could be in the few camp that observes this
as many just assimilate to a program that is not interested in human mental/emotional/physical health :/

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