Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land

S2:02 FROM SCARCITY TO SOVEREIGNTY with Prentis Hemphill & Nico Le Blanc

From Scarcity to Sovereignty: Fear, the Body, and Our Relationship to Land Our food systems, land relationships, and community structures mirror our internal landscapes. When we are organized around fear and unprocessed trauma, we build systems of hoarding, extraction, and control. When we metabolize fear, we can build systems rooted in reciprocity and care. Prentis Hemphill is the bestselling author of What It Takes to Heal, a groundbreaking exploration of healing, justice, and transformation. A therapist, somatics teacher, facilitator, political organizer, and writer, Prentis is also the founder of The Embodiment Institute and a leading voice in embodied leadership and collective healing. For over a decade, Prentis has worked with individuals and organizations through their most challenging moments of change—navigating leadership transitions, conflict, and the alignment of practice with values. Grounded in an embodied approach, their work ensures that our intentions aren't just ideas, but are fully lived, felt, and practiced. Nico Le Blanc is a co-founder of Unshackled Alchemy, an intergenerational, community-rooted, and ecologically regenerative vision of liberation-grounded in food and health sovereignty, healing spaces, and reciprocal relationships with the land, water, skies, and all beings. Guided by the wisdom, care, and radical imagination of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as femmes, queer, and trans ancestors, their work helps cultivate spaces of belonging, restoration, and collective possibility. Through the Unshackled Alchemy Land Project, Nico supports the creation of an intentional sanctuary in the Northeast that centers BIPOC land stewardship and invites community into practices of rest, healing, and expansion. Their work is an ongoing invitation to decolonize, disrupt systems of oppression, and remember more liberatory ways of being in relationship with each other and the earth. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future. This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom, Clara AgborTabi, and Zera Bloom [https://zerabloom.bandcamp.com/]. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] and Zera Bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/]. Learn more about Prentis at https://prentishemphill.com/ [https://viviensansour.com/] Follow Unshackled Alchemy Land Project at https://unshackledalchemy.com/ [https://unshackledalchemy.com/] Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/] and on social media @soulfirefarm [https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/] Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom [https://www.instagram.com/crystaembodiedbloom/] Find Clara AgborTabi somewhere offline! Follow zera bloom on bandcamp [https://zerabloom.bandcamp.com/] and instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zera.bloom] Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com [https://www.naimainfinity.com/about] and on social media at @naimainfinity [https://www.instagram.com/naimainfinity/]

S2:01 RETURNING

Welcome to Season TWO beloved community!   This season, we keep asking: What does it truly mean to be sovereign? Not just in theory — but in land, lineage, labor, and love. This episode is a compilation of voices from Season One — a mosaic of visions imagining Afrofuturist communities thriving in creativity, spiritual practice, and sacred care for the Earth. We asked each guest to paint a picture of the next world, and now we return to those visions — and listening, you’ll notice new connections, the spark of ideas taking root, and a sense that the future is something we can shape together. As a Black Mycologist, our co host Clara, has been learning from mushrooms this winter — how they connect quietly beneath the surface, supporting life we don’t always see. How growth takes time, happens in collaboration, and how decay and renewal are part of the same cycle.   Episode one explores those underground networks in a new way: through a compilation of voices, a living mosaic of visions imagining Afrofuturist communities built on creativity, wisdom, spiritual practice, and care for the Earth. Like mushrooms, these visions show how small, hidden actions can grow into something strong and lasting — and listening will leave you noticing patterns, possibilities, and connections you hadn’t seen before.   Featured Voices: Leah Penniman [https://www.instagram.com/leahpenniman/?hl=en] LeeAnn Morrissette [https://www.lcmorrissette.com/] Bailey Hutchison [https://www.instagram.com/truculturecommunity/] Junauda Petrus [https://www.junauda.com/] Ysanet Batista [https://www.instagram.com/ysanetbatistavargas/?hl=en] Patrisse Cullors [https://www.patrissecullors.com/] Ayo Ngozi [https://www.instagram.com/ayo.herbalist/?hl=en] Yura Sapi [https://yurasapi.wordpress.com/] Karen Rose [https://www.sacredvibeshealing.com/about-karen-rose] adrienne maree brown [https://adriennemareebrown.net/] Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] Hana' Maaiah [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/hana-maaiah/]   Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future. This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom, Clara AgborTabi, and zera bloom. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] and Zera Bloom. Additional music for this episode by zera bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/]. Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/] and on social media @soulfirefarm [https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/] Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom [https://www.instagram.com/crystaembodiedbloom/] Find Clara AgborTabi somewhere offline! Follow zera bloom on bandcamp [https://zerabloom.bandcamp.com/] and instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zera.bloom] Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com [https://www.naimainfinity.com/about] and on social media at @naimainfinity [https://www.instagram.com/naimainfinity/]

S1:09 LITTLE SEEDS with Vivien Sansour and Hana' Maaiah

In this podcast, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, we explore what it means to be sovereign. In this conversation, we look at ecocide in Palestine and across the African continent, and we explore seed saving as a path forward — a sacred act of preserving history and culture in the face of ongoing dispossession.  We know that colonization and occupation are not only political but ecological systems — from deforestation and monocropping to water theft and soil depletion. We share this episode as a seed of hope - nurturing the possibility of repair, return, and regeneration.   Vivien Sansour [https://viviensansour.com/] is the Founder and Executive Director of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library [https://www.palestineheirloomseedlibrary.com/]. As an artist, researcher, and writer, she uses installations, images, sketches, film, soil, seeds, and plants to enliven old cultural tales in contemporary presentations. She advocates for seed conservation and the protection of agrobiodiversity as a cultural/political act. Vivien founded the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library in 2014, where she works with farmers in Palestine and around the world. As an extension of this project, she created The Traveling Kitchen [https://viviensansour.com/Traveling-Kitchen] - a social engagement project aimed at spotlighting conversations about climate crisis, food politics, and the imagining of new worlds.   Hana’ Maaiah is a Palestinian-Jordanian nomadic farmer, beekeeper, educator, friend and organizer. Her forever fascination of Earth’s intersections in farming, energy, climate, race, politics and spirituality has brought her around the country. First, to Montana as a River Ranger, then Oregon where she studied Environmental Science and Agriculture, Alabama where she thrived as an Assistant Farm Manager and mentor in youth programs. In learning that “to free ourselves, we must feed ourselves”, she landed at Soul Fire Farm, starting as the Interim Farm Manager and currently serving as the Farm Education & Programs Manager.  After almost a decade of farming and teaching around the country, she learned the urgent need to bring advocacy and care for the Earth from the fields to the streets. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future. This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom and Zera Bloom. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] and Zera Bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/]. Learn more about Vivien's work at https://viviensansour.com/ [https://viviensansour.com/] Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/] and on social media @soulfirefarm [https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/] Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom [https://www.instagram.com/crystaembodiedbloom/] Follow zera bloom on social media at @zera.bloom [https://www.instagram.com/zera.bloom/] Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com [https://www.naimainfinity.com/about] and on social media at @naimainfinity [https://www.instagram.com/naimainfinity/]

S1:08 SACRED STORIES with Richie Reseda and LeAnne Morrissette

In this episode, we reflect on the importance of creating liberatory art and media rooted in oral histories. We explore how to honor our experiences through storytelling that is honest, ethical, and complete in the pursuit of collective liberation. LeeAnn C. Morrissette is a Black southern, multidisciplinary storyteller and cultural worker based on unceded Cusabo land (Charleston, SC). She has created for Oxford American, the Cornucopia Institute, Good Food Jobs, Nonprofit Quarterly, the Stacey Abrams for Governor Campaign, Blavity, Black Girl In Om, Honey Pot Co, The Highland Project, and most recently the National Black Food & Justice Alliance [http://blackfoodjustice.org/] serving as the Director of Communications and Culture. Richie Reseda creates high-quality music, film and fashion that dismantles oppressive narratives and expands love in pop culture through his company Question Culture. He also cofounded and co-directed Success Stories, which is a transformational feminist program for incarcerated  men and was chronicled in the CNN documentary "The Feminist on Cell Block Y". Finally, He organized people who are impacted by mass incarceration to change laws and end it through Initiate Justice. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future. This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom and Zera Bloom. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] and Zera Bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/]. Watch Richie's film Songs from the Hole [https://www.netflix.com/title/81992626] and follow him on social media @richiereseda [https://www.instagram.com/richiereseda/] Learn more about LeAnne's work at https://www.lcmorrissette.com/ [https://www.lcmorrissette.com/] Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/] and on social media @soulfirefarm [https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/] Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom [https://www.instagram.com/crystaembodiedbloom/] Follow zera bloom on social media at @zera.bloom [https://www.instagram.com/zera.bloom/] Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com [https://www.naimainfinity.com/about] and on social media at @naimainfinity [https://www.instagram.com/naimainfinity/]

S1:07 WAHALA with Bertram Williams and Farmer D

In this episode, we root into questions of land, healing, and accountability. We explore how misogynoir shows up in our movement spaces, and how Black men are reimagining their relationships to land, to self, and to each other. Through reflection, care, and vision, we ask: what does it mean to build liberated futures without carrying harm into the soil? Bertram Williams Jr is an actor, voice artist and community advocate with urban agriculture as his medium. Williams is best known for his role as Woddy on Starz record breaking show, P Valley. He is also highly celebrated for his work as co-founder of Memphis based wellness co-op Mama’s Sundry. His latest offering is a collection of audio art including meditations, thought provoking readings, sound bowl activations and affirmations around Black men healing. Farmer D is an Afro-Indigenous farmer, media producer, and educator from New Haven, CT. Through Root Life LLC and Native Praxis LLC, he fuses sustainable agriculture, cultural media, and holistic healing to uplift Black and Brown communities. Root Life cultivates five urban farm plots, leads international retreats, and provides food justice education while training youth in culturally relevant farming practices. Native Praxis documents grassroots movements and eco-cultural projects through organic media storytelling. Together, his work builds community resilience, promotes ancestral knowledge, and inspires global networks dedicated to healing, empowerment, and sustainable systems rooted in Afro-Indigenous traditions.  Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future. This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom and Zera Bloom. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman [https://www.naimainfinity.com/] and Zera Bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/]. Follow Bertram's work at @bertrambuilds [https://www.instagram.com/bertrambuilds/]. Find out more about Farmer D's work at https://www.rootlife.org/ [https://www.rootlife.org/] or on social media at @root.life [https://www.instagram.com/root.life/] Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ [https://www.soulfirefarm.org/] and on social media @soulfirefarm [https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/] Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ [https://www.embodiedbloom.com/] and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom [https://www.instagram.com/crystaembodiedbloom/] Follow zera bloom on social media at @zera.bloom [https://www.instagram.com/zera.bloom/] Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com [https://www.naimainfinity.com/about] and on social media at @naimainfinity [https://www.instagram.com/naimainfinity/]