The BTS Center

Juneteenth is an anniversary of Black liberation, but Black liberation is still unfinished.

In our food systems, our governing systems, the very topography of our lives: what could a world look like that didn’t depend on Black subjugation – that celebrated Black flourishing?

Leah Penniman, Co-Founder and Director of Farm Operations for Soul Fire Farm, says in her Pushcart Award-winning essay, “Black Land Matters: Climate Solutions In Black Agrarianism":

It stands to reason that any hope of solving the environmental crisis will require an examination and uprooting of the white supremacist ideologies that underpin the crisis. The voices and expertise of black, brown, and indigenous environmentalists, amplified by all those who have eschewed white supremacy, must be heeded if we are to halt and reverse planetary calamity. Ecological humility is part of the cultural heritage of black people.

While our 400+ years immersion in racial capitalism has attempted to diminish that connection to the sacred earth, there are those who persist in believing that the land and waters are family members, those who understand the intrinsic value of nature. The same communities that are on the front lines of climate impact, are also on the front lines of climate solutions.

A new generation of black farmers are leading the way as climate stewards by putting carbon back in the soil where it belongs.

Summer Fiction Book Club is back, and Book #1 is The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson.

If you liked The Covenant of Water or Pachinko, you'll savor this soaring and depth-plumbing bildungsroman. “A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta family's struggle to preserve their way of life and their sacrifices to protect what matters most.”

Learn more & join us (for free) by registering at the link in the comments.