The National Young Farmers Coalition's 6th Annual National Leadership Convergence will be held virtually as the first year in a two-year event with the theme of "Achieving Equity Through Agriculture."
Our first of two keynotes will feature Leah Penniman (Li*/Ya/She/He) of Soul Fire Farm. 50% of all proceeds for Leah's Keynote will be donated to Soul Fire Farm.
Uprooting Racism. Seeding Sovereignty.
Some of our most cherished sustainable farming practices - from organic agriculture to the farm cooperative and the CSA - have roots in African wisdom. Yet, discrimination and violence against African-American farmers has led to their decline from 14 percent of all growers in 1920 to less than 2 percent today, with a corresponding loss of over 14 million acres of land. Further, Black communities suffer disproportionately from illnesses related to lack of access to fresh food and healthy natural ecosystems. What is the story of land loss and food injustice? What work is being done to reclaim ancestral rights to belong to the land and have agency in the food system? How are we using food and land as tools to end mass incarceration and institutional racism? How does the confluence of pandemics - COVID-19, anti-Black state violence, and wildfire, propel us to wise action? Join us for a passionate and reflective conversation about the work of Soul Fire Farm and the Black & Brown farming community to advance food sovereignty. We will also explore concrete strategies to work together in the movement to undo racism in the food system.
About Leah
Leah Penniman (li/she/ya/elle) is a Black Kreyol farmer/peyizan, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land. As Co-Director and Farm Manager, Leah is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs – including farmer training for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for communities living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system. Leah’s book “Farming While Black” is a love song for the earth and her peoples.
