We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.
Ella Baker
Tender Greetings Beloved Community,
As June draws to a close, we find ourselves in a season of fullness. The fields stretch toward their peak expression, medicinal herbs reach skyward, pollinators move with purpose, and the long daylight hours invite us into deeper relationship with the living world around us. Yet abundance is not merely a product of favorable conditions—it is the result of sustained care, collective labor, and faith in futures we may not immediately see.
In these times, when uncertainty and upheaval continue to shape our communities, the land offers a steady reminder: resilience is cultivated. Seeds do not flourish because hardship is absent; they flourish because they are rooted in ecosystems capable of nourishing life through changing conditions. The same is true for our movements. The work of food sovereignty, racial justice, and collective liberation depends on our ability to remain connected—to one another, to our ancestors, and to the vision of a more just world.
As we move into the heart of summer, we invite you to gather with us in celebration, learning, and collective care. Join us for a Farm Tour July 4 where our beloved community can experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow here. Then return to join Medicine Making and Mutual Aid Virtual 3D on July 7, where we will explore traditions of healing, reciprocity, and shared responsibility. Together, these gatherings remind us that the future we seek is cultivated not only through vision, but through relationship.
May your breath be your anchor.
With love and solidarity,
Briana, callie, Ceci, Cheryl, Christina, Crysta, Danielle, Hana’, Hillary, Jaz, Jonah, Leah, Maya, O’den, Ren, Ria, Shay, Taína, and Winter
 Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land Podcast S2:E4 Ecology of Childhood July 1st at 4pm EST on IG Live @soulfirefarm. This episode will later be shared on all podcast platforms. What if raising children is not only about preparing them for the future, but about protecting ways of knowing that colonialism has spent generations trying to erase?Join us in conversation with Akilah Richards, whose work centers child liberation, self-determined learning, and family sovereignty, and Nicole Letelier, co-founder of a land-based homeschooling community where children learn in relationship with land, seasons, and one another. Listen to Past Episodes Here |
 Community Work & LearnJuly 7, 2026 10:00 am – 3:30 pm | July 28, 2026 10:00 am – 3:30 pm | Volunteer at Soul Fire Farm to learn about some of our farming practices while supporting our work and getting your hands on the land. Each One, Teach One. Many Hands Make Light Work. Register |
 Medicine Making and Mutual Aid Virtual July 7th, 2026 | 3:00PM – 5:00 PM EST | Interested in making and sharing herbal medicine? Join Jaz Bias and Ayo Ngozi as we root ourselves in community care and cultural connection in our Medicine Making and Mutual Aid 3D, a virtual offering hosted by Soul Fire Farm. Register here |
It is with tender hearts and immense gratitude that we send off two of our beloved staff members, Clara AgborTabi and Susuyu Lassa as they transition into the next phase of their journeys.
It’s been an immense pleasure to do this work alongside them and we wish them great success as they share their gifts with the world.
Welcome our newest team member!
callie mackenzie (she/they), Deputy Development Director, is a social change worker: living at the intersections of art & social justice.
She has been organizing on the front line of social justice movements since middle school: developing strategies for winning campaigns, co-founding and building an abolitionist organization, food justice collective, and several coalitions, developing and implementing fundraising strategies and developing training curriculum and resources for organizers and activists in New York and beyond, and representing New York as a delegate in the 2020 Black National Convention.
Her passion is bringing the community together towards a common goal developing volunteer programs with youth and adults for a wide range of Social Justice issues. As a multi-disciplinary artist, callie creates music and art as a healing and spiritual practice, while shedding light on important social issues.
callie mackenzie holds a Master’s Degree in Human Services with a concentration in Non Profit Management. They also hold Certifications in Embodied Social Justice and Rockwood’s Art of Leadership, and is a trained conflict mediator and forever student of non-violent communication and abolitionist values.
callie is deeply focused on building liberatory and joyful spaces for growth and healing rooted in love. Experiencing food scarcity at many points of her life, callie holds a deep commitment to ensuring everyone eats, and believes love can be found around a community meal.
callie finds peace with feet in the grass, making music, or a good book. The campfire is her favorite smell. In her spare time you can find her at Loafie Hill, building, working the land, or reading a book. She’s a mama to two incredible not-so-tiny humans, and one doggo.
“Farmers are athletes in overalls,” according to trainer Cynthia Flores of labor-movement.
The past couple of years, Cynthia has coached our farm team in proper rest, nutrition, and ergonomics to ensure that we care for our bodies as we work the land. The farm team spends long days of physical labor digging, sowing, tending, and reaping in all types of weather. We want to be able to do this sacred work for a long time, so it’s essential to invest in body care.
Here are some of our favorite ergonomics and wellness tips:
- Warm up the muscles and joints before work. Check out our warmup video!
- When forward bending, stick out the bootie and squeeze the bum to keep the back aligned and supported.
- Change positions often when working to reduce strain.
- Hold heavy loads close to the body and lift with the legs.
- On hot days, wear an ice-vest and drench the body with water as needed.
- Stay hydrated with water + electrolytes.
- Protect the skin with loose, light-colored clothing, sunscreen, and a wide brim hat.
- At the end of the day, enjoy a hot bath with epsom salts and a deep stretch.
A plethora of additional, beautiful farmer body care resources can be found at labor-movement and this NYFC zine. What are some of your farmer body care practices?
Community Work & Learns
The warmer weather is the perfect time to connect with the land. Join us for the upcoming Community Farm Days by clicking on the dates below to register.
Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land Podcast
Welcome to Season TWO beloved community!
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.
What if raising children is not only about preparing them for the future, but about protecting ways of knowing that colonialism has spent generations trying to erase? What if children aren’t simply learning relationship with land—but remembering one? And what might become possible if we trusted that remembering enough to let it guide how we parent, learn, and build community?
Join us in conversation with Akilah Richards ,whose work centers child liberation, self-determined learning, and family sovereignty, and Nicole Letelier, co-founder of a land-based homeschooling community where children learn in relationship with land, seasons, and one another.
S2:E4 Ecology of Childhood July 1st at 4pm EST on IG Live @soulfirefarm
This episode will later be shared on all podcast platforms
Monthly IG Live series @soulfirefarm with audio later shared on all podcast streaming platforms. Hosted by Clara AgborTabi and Crysta Bloom
We’re excited to host our first farm tour of the season on July 4th.
Register here to learn more about the plants, animals and humans that grow at Soul Fire Farm. We will guide you through the growing fields and agroforestry gardens, take you up close to the building projects, share whole-hearted stories, and answer your questions.
Medicine Making and Mutual Aid (Virtual 3D)
July 7th, 2026 | 3:00PM – 5:00 PM EST | Register here
Interested in making and sharing herbal medicine? Join Jaz Bias and Ayo Ngozi as we root ourselves in community care and cultural connection in our Medicine Making and Mutual Aid 3D, a virtual offering hosted by Soul Fire Farm.
In this 2-hour workshop, you can expect to:
- explore practical and creative ways to show up for your community and comrades with herbal remedies and information*learn more about the embodiment of mutualism through an exploration of current and historical models of mutual aid
- collectively brainstorm ideas for herbal distribution and skill-sharing
- strategize around accessibility and sourcing herbal material in a sustainable way
- provide tools and recipes that can support you in practicing hands-on medicine-making skills
SAVE THE DATE! Cultivating Resistance | SEPT 4-6, 2026
Registration opens on May 1st @ 1pm! Get your tickets: here!
A weekend of capoeira, farming and music on the land.
Join us to co-create this land-rooted community of collective resistance – Quilombo – healing, celebration, and living into liberation. This farm-based collaboration between Quilombo do Acupe and Soul Fire Farm will be a weekend abundant with workshops in capoeira, farming, herbalism, wilderness play, foraging, swimming, music, and movement. In these times, our communities and movements need to fortify our bodies and imaginations in creative collaboration, joy and inquiry. Get your hands on the land with the Soul Fire farmers! Be in spiritual connection! Eat amazing food! Deepen and build community! Play on the beautiful and sacred Soul Fire land. No capoeira background necessary, just a love for land and community. Everyone is welcome!
Medicine Making and Mutual Aid (Virtual 3D)
July 7th, 2026 | 3:00PM – 5:00 PM EST | Register here
Interested in making and sharing herbal medicine? Join Jaz Bias and Ayo Ngozi as we root ourselves in community care and cultural connection in our Medicine Making and Mutual Aid 3D, a virtual offering hosted by Soul Fire Farm.
In this 2-hour workshop, you can expect to:
- explore practical and creative ways to show up for your community and comrades with herbal remedies and information*learn more about the embodiment of mutualism through an exploration of current and historical models of mutual aid
- collectively brainstorm ideas for herbal distribution and skill-sharing
- strategize around accessibility and sourcing herbal material in a sustainable way
- provide tools and recipes that can support you in practicing hands-on medicine-making skills
SAVE THE DATE! Cultivating Resistance | SEPT 4-6, 2026
Registration opens on May 1st @ 1pm! Get your tickets: here!
A weekend of capoeira, farming and music on the land.
Join us to co-create this land-rooted community of collective resistance – Quilombo – healing, celebration, and living into liberation. This farm-based collaboration between Quilombo do Acupe and Soul Fire Farm will be a weekend abundant with workshops in capoeira, farming, herbalism, wilderness play, foraging, swimming, music, and movement. In these times, our communities and movements need to fortify our bodies and imaginations in creative collaboration, joy and inquiry. Get your hands on the land with the Soul Fire farmers! Be in spiritual connection! Eat amazing food! Deepen and build community! Play on the beautiful and sacred Soul Fire land. No capoeira background necessary, just a love for land and community. Everyone is welcome!
Khonsu X, a former Braiding Seeds Fellowship applicant and mini grant recipient, is in need of community support towards strengthening their project.
Khonsu X is the founder of Ezili’s Respite Farm and Sanctuary in Groton, VT. and they are working towards their next milestone of having reliable transportation and continuing to build a thriving micro-dairy.
Please check out this LINK for more information on how to visit the farm and support their work. As a strong applicant, we are honored to connect more people to their valuable work. Investment will help the project secure sustainable income from the farm, and improve the lives of their animals, the health of the land, and the wellbeing of the stewards who make their livelihood here.
SHARING NOT HOARDING
Capitalism would have us competing for scraps and believing resources are scarce. We refuse. In the spirit of ubuntu and mutual aid, we are committed to sharing what we have with others in the Black and Brown farmer ecosystem, even in hard times. Soul Fire Farm is facing a significant budget gap as anti-DEI forces hold power. Despite this, we regranted over $350K last year for emergency food relief, farmer apprenticeships, and alumni land projects. We also use our platform to uplift other land worker projects that need support.
In that spirit, we ask you to please consider supporting this incredible farmer:
Water Access for Rural Farmers in Ghana: We have been in relationship with farmers in the Manya Krobo district of Ghana for over 20 years. They are facing climate-induced drought and digging new wells to keep their crops thriving.
Operation Spring Plant, North Carolina: Mama Dorathy Barker and Baba Philip Barker are Black farmer movement elders who have worked the land and tended to the farming community since the 1980s. Operation Spring Plant is a member organization offering technical assistance, a food hub, land loss prevention, an annual conference, and Black farmer advocacy. DONATE HERE
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.
Co-Executive Director Cheryl Whilby recently joined fellow Black Farmer Ecosystem leaders from Black Farmers United NYS, Corbin Hill Food Project, and Buffalo Go Green to speak at The Alliance for a Hunger-Free New York’s New York State Food Summit.
The summit convened advocates, practitioners, and policymakers to share best practices, research, and innovations in anti-hunger and nutrition security efforts. Together, the panel explored how BIPOC-led, community-rooted partnerships are strengthening regional food systems in the face of federal funding cuts by creating equitable markets for farmers while expanding access to nutritious food.
- The Unique Complexities of Perennial Foods—and Why You Should Care
- Healing with the Land
- These 9 Black Leaders Are Redefining What Environmentalism Looks Like in 2026
- Medicine Explained