Photo by Ali Meizels ’23.
Leah Penniman’s novel “Black Earth Wisdom” includes interviews with Black environmentalists.
By Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23
Science & Environment Editor
On March 22, the Odyssey was packed with people sitting and chatting in rows of chairs where one would usually find racks of MHC apparel. The group was brought together by an event featuring Leah Penniman, a “Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY,” according to their bio on the Soul Fire Farm website. Penniman co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010, with the mission to “end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land” according to their website. Penniman is also a celebrated author, with previous publications including “Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land” and “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis.”
Penniman’s latest publication, “Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists” first hit the shelves in February, according to HarperCollins. The book explores Black peoples’ relationships with the environment and science through a series of interviews and essays. To write the novel, Penniman spoke to 40 Black environmentalists, including Alice Walker, Ross Gay and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, according to HarperCollins. This was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to inspiring Black voices, but that the prolific involvement of People of Color in science would not be detected through traditional channels, Penniman said. When observing who holds leadership roles in science, and where grant funding goes, “you would think that somehow Black and brown folks just aren’t interested,” they said.
One of Penniman’s interviewees for the novel is Mount Holyoke David B. Truman Professor of Environmental Studies Lauret Savoy. Savoy accompanied Penniman at the event, where the two discussed their respective experiences with racism and the environment, experiences which they found often occurred simultaneously in their early memories. These questions formulated the central narrative of “Black Earth Wisdom,” alongside an urging for readers to listen and learn from the nature that surrounds them. “This book is about remembering the languages of the earth,” Penniman said.
What languages does the Earth speak? This was the first question Penniman asked Savoy, with reference to a similar question posed to the professor in “Black Earth Wisdom.” Savoy began to answer before pausing to pick up a copy of the book off of the table in front of her and commented that her answer there was likely more concise. The Earth speaks in “many voices,” Savoy read. “Uplift,” “erosion,” “water,” and “ice” are all ways in which the Earth speaks, she continued, adding that humans’ relationship with the Earth began “with direct experience.” Despite the vast array in which nature communicates with humans, “so many people today know little of this Earth, and they act as if this ignorance is an act of right and privilege,” Savoy said. Throughout her life, Savoy learned to “read and listen [to the Earth] in the languages of science and art,” she said.
Penniman’s connection with the environment arose in their childhood when nature served as a welcome refuge from racial discrimination and bullying. Penniman described that both they and their twin sister felt a “deep kinship” with the Earth as children. “I am so proud of the clarity of youth,” Penniman said, explaining that young people are often the ones who refuse to compromise with “racial capitalism.” Penniman went on to explain that when people lose this clarity and see themselves as separate from nature, it “authorizes terrible acts of oppression.” They explained that in the face of impending climate change, society needs to undergo a transformation, rather than attempting to fit into the existing capitalist system.
Savoy shared that she had a similar relationship with nature during her childhood in Southern California. “The sun colored my skin as it colored the earth,” she said of her identity and understanding of race as a child. Savoy explained that as she grew older, she was quick to realize that land did not hate, “people did.” As with Penniman, racism was a driving factor in Savoy’s close relationship with the environment, she said. Savoy further explores the American landscape through history and her own memories in her novel “Trace.”
The event ended with a surprise appearance by Naima Penniman, Leah Penniman’s sister, who also serves as the Director of Education at Soul Fire Farm. Naima Penniman asked audience members to turn to their neighbor and share something they had learned by listening to nature. She then closed the event with a spoken word performance about the lessons she had learned from the Earth.