May ’25 Love Notes

It is our duty to fight for our freedom.

It is our duty to win.

We must love each other and support each other.

We have nothing to lose but our chains.
Assata Shakur

Blessings Beloved Community

We recently harvested our first batch of shiitake mushrooms from our circle of inoculated logs. Mushrooms quietly embody the spirit of this beloved community; their mycelial networks thrive through mutual support and shared resources, offering a powerful reminder of the reciprocity that connects all beings. Much of their work happens underground—unseen yet essential—echoing the invisible threads that hold us together.

As spring continues to unfold all around us, our program calendar is bursting with opportunities for us to gather in community. Please join us for upcoming events like Community Work & Learn Day on June 1st and Family Fun Day on June 20th. We hope to see you there, nurturing the same spirit of connection, care, and growth that our mushroom kin so beautifully reflect.

May your breath be your anchor.

With love and solidarity,

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

The land overflows with fragrant, flowering, fecundity this May.

With abundant rain and generous sun, the plants race to photosynthesize before SOULstice brings waning light. Thousands of transplants beg to be tucked into the warm, dark brown earth and the weeds (aka relatives in unintentional places) sprout more quickly than we can uproot and compost them. The high tunnels are planted with hot crops and the steady irrigation system keeps them hydrated as they root down into the humus.

Knowing that many of you may be planting your gardens this week, we want to share a few timely resources. First, check out our transplanting how-to video for easy tips to support plants thriving. Also, check out our 2-part drip irrigation videos, part 1 focuses on establishing the mainline, and part 2 on the drip line. We love making these “each one teach one” videos so let us know if you have requests for future topics.

Community Work & Learn

We’re so grateful to everyone who visited in May helping us mulch, transplant, weed blueberries, install trellises, pack eggs, and so much more. Click on the links below to register for upcoming programs.

June 1
June 24

Group registration may be offered on select days to groups with participants 16 years and older. Complete this form if you’d like to request to register a group.

Farm Tours

Come experience some of 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.

Our first tour is on June 20th.

On July 11, Misty Cook will lead us in an in person discussion of the natural Medicines from the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.

Together we will learn the lineage of Mohican plant medicinal knowledge, how to make tobacco offerings to the land, the stories of several of the native plants on the land, and hands-on harvesting and processing of plant medicines. Learn more and register here.

Foraging

Earlier this month we gathered for a Foraging skill share with Soul Fire Farm’s Chef Ria Ibrahim and Herbalist Angelica Vargas.

Our Soil 3D Skill Share this week focuses on assessing soil in the field.

If you weren’t able to attend, here are some resources to support your own soil curiosity and assessment: How Alive is My Soil?, Soil Assessments Part 1 & Part 2, Investigating Soil with an Auger.

Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land

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

Tap in for our next IG Live episode, featuring Patrisse Cullors and Leah Penniman, on June 25th. This episode is titled “Wild Currents” and explores Leah and Patrisse’s personal journeys to living in closer relationship with the land, their spiritual practices and how that supports their connection with the land. Additionally, they share their experience around building intentional communities, while living independently from public utilities; alternatively reclaiming individual and collective sovereignty by sourcing their own ele

Listen to all the latest episodes here or watch previous IG Live shows @soulfirefarmctricity, water, food, and sewage systems.

The Braiding Seeds Fellowship partnered with SAAFON and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives on two work brigades for one of our current fellows, Mars Mwenja,
at Haven Community Nursery, and for one of our inaugural cohort alum,
Dominique Villanueva, at Fountain Heights Farms.

Both Mars and Dominique are preparing to be mentor farmers in our new pilot apprenticeship program in partnership with Soul Fire Farm and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance. It was also great seeing another inaugural cohort alum, Zel Taylor, who works with SAAFON – a beautiful tribute to intersecting fellowship pathways and farming missions within the Southeast!

Back in 2019, we put our 80-acres of land into a cooperative housing association where every resident is a voting member of the governing board, nature has veto power over decisions via Ifà divination, and the Mohican Nation is granted a perpetual cultural respect easement to this part of their homelands.

Soul Fire Farm Institute Inc. (the nonprofit organization) is one of the member-tenants of the coop, alongside others who live and work here. Coops, land trusts, and easements are among the tools that people of conscience have used to try to preserve and share lands previously fractured by private ownership and market speculation. We chose a coop structure because it’s important to us that these sacred lands be used for cultural and ecological purposes for generations to come, and that there is a democratic process for making decisions about the land. Currently, the Soul Fire Farm Coop is purchasing adjacent properties and looking to bring new neighbors into the community. To learn more about the coop and get involved, please visit https://bit.ly/sffcoop

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.

On May 16, we welcomed Shawn Stevens, Red Eagle of the
Stockbridge Munsee Mohican community for an evening of storytelling, music, and prophecy.

We enjoyed a meal that featured Mohican blue corn and locally harvested fiddleheads and mushrooms, in honor of the ancestral plants of the region. Shawn generously shared wisdom stories from his lineage that regrounded us in our commitments around moderation, diligent effort, and respect for the Earth. As if to punctuate a poignant prophecy of the white buffalo calf, heralding an age when humanity is far astray from the original instructions, the fire alarm went off (no fire) and caused us to evacuate to the Sanctuary. Warning heeded, we continued to relish Shawn’s captivating flute playing, singing, and drumming well into dusk. Naima closed out the evening by performing an original poem that echoed and amplified the themes of interdependence and stewardship.

Soul Fire Farm is located on unceded territory of the Mohican Nation. We remain committed to working in solidarity with the Mohican people and other Indigenous communities in our region.

Alumni Spotlight: Ali Anderson [2019 FIRE 1]

I attended BIPOC FIRE in the summer of 2019, and it changed the trajectory of my life. The experience moved me so deeply that I packed up my life in NYC and moved to Jamaica to farm full time. When COVID hit, I returned home to Los Angeles and began volunteering at Huerta del Valle, a local community farm. A few weeks later, I launched a mutual aid campaign to support Black mamas and caregivers being bailed out of incarceration with nourishing, culturally relevant food.

What began as a $10K COVID-response campaign connecting BIPOC farmers to Black women, queer and gender-expansive folks, and families impacted by incarceration quickly grew. Amid the pandemic and the uprisings for Black lives, we raised $90K and realized the need for a long-term commitment. Feed Black Futures (FBF) was born.

Today, FBF is the only Black, queer-led organization in California organizing to ensure Black caregivers impacted by incarceration have consistent access to nourishing food. Since starting, we’ve delivered over 6,000 food boxes, invested $225,000 in Black farms, installed 17 edible gardens, and trained 166 people in food justice. We’re growing a future rooted in healing, sovereignty, and abundance for our communities.

See a video of our work

We’re excited to welcome community to our annual SOULstice party
on June 28, 2025!

Learn more and register here

This beloved event celebrates the abundance of the land, our resilience, and the collective power of community. It’s a chance to enjoy live music, delicious food from local BIPOC businesses, and an unforgettable dance party—all while supporting our food and land sovereignty programs.

We are currently seeking volunteers and sponsors for SOULstice! Please email volunteer@soulfirefarm.org for more information on volunteer opportunities and love@soulfirefarm.org for sponsorship opportunities.

PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

BIPOC-led farming organizations are under threat. Please consider donating to these trusted and vetted movement partners who are in need in these times. With your support, we can make an impact on the Black food system.

Get Involved!

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