Saturday, April 22 at 5 p.m.—VIRTUAL— Celebrate Earth Day with renowned farmer, food justice activist and author Leah Penniman as she presents: “Black Earth Wisdom”
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 our ancestral connection to land. As Co-ED and farm director, Penniman is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs — including farmer training for Black and 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.
Penniman has been farming since 1996, holds a master’s degree in science education and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and international development from Clark University, and is a member of clergy in West African Indigenous Orisa tradition. Penniman trained at Many Hands Organic Farm, Farm School Massachusetts, and internationally with farmers in Ghana, Haiti, and Mexico. She also served as a high school biology and environmental science teacher for 17 years.
The work of Penniman and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by the Soros Racial Justice Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Pritzker Environmental Genius Award, Grist 50, and James Beard Leadership Award, among others. Her books, “Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land” (2018) and “Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists”(2023) are love songs for the land and her people.
Penniman’s talk is presented by Sustainable Woodstock & Pentangle Arts with additional support from Vermont Humanities.
The talks is free and open to all with a suggested donation of $10. The presentation will be followed by an audience question and answer session. For more information visit: sustainablewoodstock.org or register at: LeahPenniman.eventbrite.com.
