January ’26 Love Notes

Grief is not resignation; it is a demand for justice.

Javier Sicilia

Sweet Greetings Beloved Community,

January settles in with a quiet that can feel both sheltering and heavy. The land rests under frost and shadow, and our community is carrying deep grief alongside it. There is mourning for lives lost to state violence, for the fear that shadows our loved ones, and for the ways harm continues to be normalized. There is anger, too—an ache that comes from loving our people and refusing to look away. Winter offers itself as a container, asking us to place our grief and anger into the soil, where weight can be held and transformed.

Winter teaches us how to hold what is tender. The earth pulls life inward for protection. Roots stay intertwined beneath the surface, sharing resources, remembering pathways, sustaining one another through the cold. The land reminds us that even when growth is not visible, relationship endures—and endurance itself is a form of hope.

In this spirit of tending what lies beneath the surface, we invite you to join Uprooting Racism in the Food System on February 23rd. This training is a space to examine the deep-rooted systems shaping our food and farming work and to build both shared language and practical strategies for change. Like winter itself, this gathering is about doing the necessary work underground—so that what grows next is more just, more resilient, and truly nourishing for our communities.

May your breath be your anchor.

With love and solidarity,

Briana, Ceci, Cheryl, Christina, Clara, Crysta, Danielle, Hana’, Hillary, Jaz, Jonah, Leah, Maya, O’den, Ria, Shay, Susuyu, Taina, and Winter 

Organizations that have a mechanism for distributing that food to their community members are eligible for this program. Soul Fire Farm makes weekly deliveries of vegetables, herbs, eggs, and preserves through our Solidarity Share program. The Solidarity Share is offered at no cost. Deliveries arrive on Thursday afternoons from mid-June through early November.

APPLY HERE

*Please note that household-sized solidarity shares are all reserved for 2026. 

From abolition to climate justice, from queer liberation to immigrant defense, our struggles for a world of dignity, empowerment, and sustainability are intertwined.

Those of us on the front lines of social and environmental change understand the need to periodically step out of our everyday context to rejuvenate, strategize, and connect. At Soul Fire Farm, we are pleased to offer our campus and farm as a setting for that work, inspiration, and restoration.

Please complete this form to request use of our space for your organization’s internal gathering or community even

We all have a significant and intrinsic role to play in uprooting racism in the food system, and the good news is that there are many right answers to the questions, “What can I do to help?” We’ve been deep diving into this question and sharing solidarity strategies far and wide. Save the date for our upcoming workshops. We have both individual and group registration available.

Individual and Group tickets are on sale. Click on the links below for more information and to register. 

February 23rd, 2026 (12-3PM EST)
March 5th, 2026 (12-3PM EST)
November 12th, 2026 (6-9PM EST) ** peep the new training time 
November 16th, 2026 (12-3PM EST)

You can also check out our Actions Steps to uproot racism in the food system here.

In this podcast, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this series brings together prominent activists, artists, weavers and the rising generation of Black land stewards. Crafting inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future.

Monthly IG Live series @soulfirefarm with audio later shared on podcast streaming platforms. Hosted by Clara AgborTabi and Crysta Bloom

Listen to all the episodes from season 1 here or watch previous IG Live shows @soulfirefarm

The 3D series is a multidimensional workshop series designed for B.I.P.O.C. (Black, Indigenous, &/or People of Color) to deepen skills in specific farming and land stewardship practices in a culturally relevant, supportive, and joyful environment.

We will be releasing our 2026 topics within the next two months – keep an eye out!

In the meantime, head over to our youtube and watch any recordings that you may have missed in the fall. We have the Spirituality and Farming: Honoring the Sacred 3D and Legal Entities for Land Projects 3D uploaded for your enjoyment.

Through our immersions and workshops we annually equip hundreds of adults and youth with the land-based skills needed to reclaim leadership as farmers and food justice organizers in their communities, to heal their relationship with earth, and to imagine bolder futures. Using land as a tool to heal from racial trauma, we work to reverse the dangerously low percentage of farms being owned and operated by people of color and increase the leadership of people of color in the food justice movement. Through our Fellowship Program, graduates receive ongoing support to access resources, land, funding, mentorship, and platform.

We will launch the next application cycle on February 23, 2026. Details and applications will be found here 

* Amos Mukobo Kazadi (ME) @moisekazadi
* August Green (LA)
* Christina Smith-Galloway (SC) @sowsandgrowssc 
* Chrys Salmon (FL) @chefchryssalmon @dunnsovertownfarm 
* Ina Maka (NC) @mamamakamedicine 
* Joseph Aochoa (NJ)
* Olka Baldeh (MS) @buildingbirdsong 
* Sasha Wol-soon Hom (VT)
* Sebi Medina-Tayac (MD) @red.cedar.farms 
* Bianca “Umii” Anthony (NC) @holistic.umii 

This year’s cohort carries forward the intertwined lineages of Black agrarian worldmaking and Indigenous land-based knowledge, alongside the stewardship traditions of other Communities of Color who have shaped, and continue to shape, liberatory relationships with land. These growers, land stewards, seedkeepers, organizers, and visionaries honor ancestral practices while imagining bold, regenerative futures. Their work affirms that land, community, and sovereignty are braided together through care, memory, and resistance.

We’re honored to welcome this powerful group into the fellowship and can’t wait to support the brilliance, growth, and collective wisdom they bring.

He is a father and a beloved son, brother and nephew to many who continue to blaze the trails of justice for Indigenous people. He needs our support now more than ever as he is facing politically motivated felony charges. Learn more HERE and join the efforts to keep Nick free.

The Praxis series reflects on how our community can best put our values into action, sharing resources, ideas, and practice toward collective liberation. These will be shared each month in Love Notes and also on social media. 

With support from a Continued Education Grant, they presented on their school’s Farm to Cafeteria program, lifting up the importance of school nutrition as a vital part of community health and education.

Mohammad Schools of Atlanta was among the few—and possibly the only—program of its kind represented at the conference. The presentation shared a replicable, community-rooted model that weaves together education, farming, and culinary practice, offering a roadmap for other schools and communities seeking to build strong farm-to-school programs.

Beyond presenting, the alum engaged in workshops, peer learning, and direct exchanges with Albuquerque Public Schools, bringing home new insights to further strengthen and elevate their local program.

We’re grateful to support alumni who are expanding what’s possible in school food systems and nourishing future generations through land-based education and care.

Uprooting Racism in the Food System February 23, 2026 @ 12:00 – 3:00 pm The Uprooting Racism training is a theory and action workshop for environmental and food justice leaders to uproot systemic racism in our organizations and society. We delve deep into the history and structural realities of racial injustice and develop an understanding of the movement strategies of frontlines communities struggling for food sovereignty. Register

• Garden of Memory | Tractor Beam
• Capital Region Gives Back | Saratoga Living
• Exploring Traditional Native Uses of New York Plants Scenic Hudson | Hudson Valley Viewfinder
• Mohican News
• Sierra Club Magazine