Leah Penniman is a writer, farmer and activist. She is the co-director and farm manager of Soul Fire Farm which she began with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim ancestral connection to the land.
Leah has been farming since 1996, holds an MA in Science Education and a BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a member of clergy in West African Indigenous Orisa tradition.
Leah has served as a high school biology and environmental science teacher for 17 years. She has published the books, Farming While Black (Chelsea Green, 2018) and Black Earth Wisdom (Amistad, 2023), and wrote an essay for Robert Shetterly’s book, Portraits of Earth Justice(New Village Press, 2022).
Since 2013, Leah has trained approximately 600 new BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) farmers, with 86 percent of her graduates actively growing food at a farm or community garden. Soul Fire Farm’s efforts reach over 10,000 people annually in programs that include farmer training for black and brown growers, food justice workshops for urban youth, and home gardens for city-dwellers living under food apartheid.
