heal with the land: an emerging southern BIPOC nature retreat
we seek to support Black and Indigenous people and people of color in their healing by helping them reconnect with nature.
guided by our ancestors through both blood and thought, we seek to acquire land in the West Tennessee/ Mississippi Delta region for a retreat, residency, farm, and education center. the future of our dreams requires we reestablish our connection to the earth and to each other and to obtain our livelihood through interconnected support systems.
“Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality.”
— Malcolm X
we have found a property in West Tennessee that could not be more perfect. down a winding dirt road sits a magical oasis with passionflower growing wild and nut trees dotting a long driveway. this 40-acre farm holds a 3.5-acre lake, a barn, a fenced pasture as well as a quonset house. there’s additional power and septic for other structures.
our objectives ::
- offer retreats and residencies to organizers, activists, and artists; a space to rest, heal, and create while living in right relationship with the Earth
- provide healing and learning experiences to people in the Mississippi Delta/ West Tennessee region
- expand collective imagination through experiments in liberatory living
the budget ::
the property has been offered to us for $263,000 not including appraisal and lawyer fees. to also include some basic building projects we hope to raise $300,000 to purchase the oasis outright and not be burdened by mortgage while we set up our nonprofit and programs. we are currently working on establishing a nonprofit so donations will be tax deductible.
why the Delta ::
the Delta is a site of historical struggle and continued resilience for Black and Indigenous folx. we honor this fertile land as our accomplice in liberation. we heal the wounds inflicted against us and our lineages through communion with nature. the Earth has been made complicit in centuries of harm. with this land we co-create joy and abundance against all odds.
vision holders ::
Rochelle is a folk herbalist, full spectrum doula, energy healer and movement artist with roots in Memphis and the Delta. for the past 3 years she has studied herbalism in New York City and supported over 25 families as a doula. Rochelle has taught healing and movement workshops in Memphis and New York City and to children in NYC public schools.
analise is a healing artist, educator and organizer currently based in Jackson, Mississippi where she supports Black, cooperative economic development and farming. she co-founded common healing while living in London, UK which she has since grown into an international collective of healers and artists rooted in transformation, self-reliance, and liberation.
our gratitude ::
by donating, you are supporting an expanding network of Black and Indigenous people, and people of color who are working tirelessly to create a new world from a process of healing ourselves, our lineages, our communities, and the earth. and for that we deeply thank you.
we are choosing to launch this fundraiser as part of Black August, a time for honoring Black freedom fighters and revolutionaries, many of whom have been imprisoned or murdered by the state. our retreat will offer a healing space for organizers and leaders on the frontlines in the continued fight for liberation.
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