Black Earth Wisdom

Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists

Author of Farming While Black and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, Leah Penniman reminds us that ecological humility is an intrinsic part of Black cultural heritage. While racial capitalism has attempted to sever our connection to the sacred earth for 400 years, Black people have long seen the land and water as family and understood the intrinsic value of nature.

In this time, we are acutely aware of the fractures in our system of runaway consumption and corporate insatiability. We feel the hot winds of wildfire, the disruptions of pandemic, and the choked breath of the victims of state violence. We know there is no going back to “normal.” The path forward demands that we take our rightful places as the younger siblings in creation, deferring to the oceans, forests, and mountains as our teachers.

This thought-provoking anthology brings together today’s most respected and influential Black environmentalist voices—leaders who have cultivated the skill of listening to the Earth—to share the lessons they have learned. Contributors include Alice Walker, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Steve Curwood, Rue Mapp, and Queen Quet, among others.

Black Earth Wisdom addresses the essential connection between nature and our survival, and how runaway consumption and corporate insatiability are harming the earth and every facet of American society, engendering racial violence, food apartheid, and climate injustice. Penniman makes clear that the fight for racial and environmental justice demands that people put our planet first and defer to nature as our ultimate teacher.

For more information, or to order the book, visit blackearthwisdom.org.