A lunchtime speaker series bringing together diverse voices in agriculture to support our local communities in learning and integrating the distinct and varied ways of farming, tending land, and understanding the challenges faced by BIPOC farmers and farmworkers.
This was a 6-week session over the course of January through March 2023 with a goal of building a community of understanding, restore a narrative of justice, and gain a deeper understanding of where our food truly comes from.
Brought to you by the Rogue Valley Food System Network, Southern Oregon University and OSU Extension.
THE SCHEDULE
Stasie Maxwell is the Series Facilitator. Stasie is the Indigenous Partnership Programs Manager for Vesper Meadow Education Program.
Thursday, January 26, noon-12:50pm: “Reindigenizing and Rematriating with the Land” with Fox Del Mar of NativeWomanshare.
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
Thursday, February 2, noon-12:50pm: “Decolonizing Agriculture by Building Culture” with Dan Wahpepah
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
Thursday, February 9, noon-12:50pm: “The Struggle of Cannabis Workers in Local Grows” with Unete Oregon, a movement of farm workers and immigrants
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
Thursday, February 16, noon-12:50pm: “Good Fire: Tribal First Foods and Indigenous Fire Science” with Joe Scott
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
Thursday, February 23 “The Nexus of Afrofuturism, Place and Agriculture in Black Liberation” with Mirabai Collins, Co-Founder, Black Futures Farm and Co-Director, Black Food Sovereignty Coalition, and Malcolm Shabazz Hoover, Co- Founder and Co-Director, Black Futures Farm.
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
Thursday, March 2 “Remembering: Black Herbal History” with Bashira Muhammad, Founder and Owner at Zoom Out Mycology
WATCH THE VIDEO RECORDING HERE.
LINKS FROM THE SESSION CHATS
We gathered all the links dropped into the chat boxes by session attendees, facilitators, and speakers to share.
Links to Learn About and Support Our Speakers
NativeWomanShare (session 1 – 1/26/23)
Dan Wahpepah (session 2 – 2/2/23)
- Website
- Donate:
- Red Earth Descendants – http://www.redearthdescendants.org/home/
- Dan – dwahpepah@gmail.com
- Where to find Dan:
- Dan teaches permaculture design at Lost Valley Education Center in Dexter, Oregon
- Dan can be reached at zhawen@zimbracloud.com
- Listen to First Nations Radio Show, with Dan on Fridays from 2-3:00pm on KSKQ
Unete Oregon (session 3 – 2/9/23)
Joe Scott (session 4 – 2/16/23)
- Long Tom Watershed Council Website
- Long Tom Watershed Council Donate
- Traditional Ecological Inquiry Program Website
Black Futures Farm (session 5 – 2/23/23)
Bashira Muhammad of Zoom Out! Mycology (session 6 – 3/2/23)
- Zoom Out! Mycology Website
RESOURCES
Petition to protect the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Cannabis Industry Impacts to the Environmental health of the Illinois River Basin & the Community Well-Being. A report produced by Christopher Hall on the negative impacts to the community and environment in 2021 due to the unregulated cannabis industry growers.
Reparations4Slavery A portal for white americans walking the path of racial healing through engaging in direct repair
Oregon Farm Link Connecting beginning farmers and ranchers with land holders to help Oregon grow the next generation of family farmers
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Restoring the Kinship Worldview by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) & Darcia Narvaez Ph.D.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D.
We Are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Womens Coming-of-Age Ceremonies by Cutcha Risling Baldy Ph.D.
Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway
Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
ARTICLES AND VIDEOS
Reclaiming our Indigenous European Roots, an essay by Lyla June, an author and activist of Diné and European heritage, in The Moon Magazine
Life And Death At Chemawa Indian School – OPB
The first in a five part series by OPB about Chemawa residential Indian school in Salem, Oregon, the longest continually operating Indian boarding school in the country and part of this long history of separating native youth from their families.
Federal audit underway for Oregon’s Native American boarding school – OPB
A followup from June 28, 2022 regarding the financial inquiry by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon.
THC: The Human Cost A half hour documentary by ABC centered on the human rights violations on cannabis farms in the Rogue Valley, December 14, 2022
“Dying for your high: The untold exploitation and misery in America’s weed industry” LA Times (behind a paywall)
Black Farming Couple’s Arrest Sparks Alleged Harassment From Racist Neighbors And Deputies – The Shade Room, February 17, 2023
Afrofuturism Has Always Looked Forward – Architectural Digest, August 24, 2020
Afrofuturism: A Form of Self-Recognition – Visions2030, February 3, 2021
Solarpunk: Afro-Solarpunk
An important pair of articles exploring the connections and differences between Afrofuturism and solarpunk.
Wangari Maathai’s environmental Afrofuturist imaginary in Wanuri Kahiu’s Pumzi
PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS
This Land from Crooked Media
How a string of custody battles over Native children became a federal lawsuit that threatens everything from tribal sovereignty to civil rights.
Toasted Sister Podcast
Radio about Native American food
The Native Seed Pod
A podcast that explores and celebrates Native foodways, ancestral seeds, and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge needed to renew the health of the Earth and all our relations. From planting songs to cultural foodscapes, we highlight the importance of protecting and restoring agrobiodiversity and food sovereignty to sustain resilient communities.
One Foot in the Black
A six-episode podcast telling the story of fire in the West—how the landscape has been shaped by fire, how climate change is remaking the rules, and how our future with fire is tied to the past. Join hosts Joseph Vaile and Alexi Lovechio, as they explore the facts, future, and solutions of wildfire in the era of climate change. You’ll hear from voices on the front lines—like cultural fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, fire scientists, and policymakers—as we write the story of our fire future together.
ORGANIZATIONS TO ALIGN WITH
Cultural Fire Management Council
The mission of the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC) is to facilitate the practice of cultural burning on the Yurok Reservation and Ancestral lands, which will lead to a healthier ecosystem for all plants and animals, long term fire protection for residents, and provide a platform that will in turn support the traditional hunting and gathering activities of Yurok.
Sogorea Te’ Land Trust
Another growing rematriation effort to be aware of in Northern California’s bay area.
BT Farms
A BIPOC centered regenerative agriculture community plan on 230 acres of land in Madison, Wisconsin. Please visit their website for more information and to complete a survey for those interested in being a part of the future community. “We are interested in particularly engaging with indigenous communities of Madison or Wisconsin to learn more about the essence and heritage of indigenous land stewardship”
The Beaver Coalition
A non-profit local to Rogue Valley dedicated to facilitating a paradigm shift in society’s understanding of beavers. We see beavers as a symbol of resilience; an opportunity to come together for land, water, and people.
Red Earth Descendants
Red Earth Descendants is a grassroots, indigenous-based organization committed to creating healthy, sustainable community while preserving Native values, traditions and culture. Our core strength is in joining our youth, elders, families and regional tribes together to share knowledge and skills. As we practice healthy community interaction, our goal is to give Native teachings to the next Generations of life.
Food For All Oregonians
Together we can build a future where everyone in Oregon has access to food. Thousands of Oregonians face hunger each day — simply because of where we were born. For too long, individuals and families have been left out of food assistance programs, like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sometimes called “food stamps,” based on immigration status. Food for All Oregonians is building community power to bring an end to this legacy, to bring an end to hunger. Sign the pledge.
Vesper Meadow Education Center, Medford, Oregon
The Vesper Meadow Education Program is building a culture of land stewardship and strengthening community connections through partnership with scientists, Tribes, artists, educators, and other community leaders.
