Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists

by Leah Penniman, 352 pages, 6⅓x9½, hardcover. “The Queen Mothers of Kroboland, Ghana, admonished their Black American students in disbelief, ‘Is it true that in the United States, a farmer will put the seed into the ground and not pour any libations, offer any prayers, sing, or dance, and expect that seed to grow?’ Met with ashamed silence, they continued, ‘That is why you are all sick! Because you see the earth as a thing and not a being.’”A poignant and galvanizing collection of essays and conversations with respected Black leaders, brilliantly woven together by Leah Penniman, author of Farming While Black and cofounder of Soul Fire Farm. This collection honors the deep well of environmental wisdom held by Black people, despite over 400 years of racism and oppression. With cultivated skills of listening and connecting with the Earth, these leaders share the lessons and teachings they have learned. In these times of climate chaos and political instability, Penniman asserts that the fight for racial and environmental justice demands that we put our planet first and defer to nature as our ultimate teacher. -EP