Farming as Identity, Healing & Purpose for Young Black Men in Hartford, CT

In this episode, I sit down with Aarvah Quiñonez, an Indigenous Black Latina farmer and founder of the Aasaaska Foundation, to explore how her work is reshaping identity, healing, and purpose for young Black men in Hartford, Connecticut. Aarvah shares her powerful origin story, the ancestral call that brought her back to the land, and the vision behind Aasaaska’s mission to reconnect youth with cultural foodways, community leadership, and the healing power of farming.Together, we unpack the realities of farming in an urban city, the systemic barriers Black and Brown growers face, and the deep cultural restoration happening when young men return to the soil. Aarvah discusses the programs she is building through Aasaaska, the challenges and triumphs of engaging youth in agriculture, and her long-term dream for a sovereign, community-led food future in Connecticut.This conversation is honest and profoundly necessary to explore what happens when identity, land, and purpose meet in the hands of the next generation. Stay tune to part 2Support Aarvah's work: About - aasaaska aasaaska.com https://www.aasaaska.com › aboutFollow Aarvah: https://www.instagram.com/_aasaaskafoundation_ct/?hl=enSupport Vetiveah's work: www.vetiveah.comFollow Vetiveah: https://www.instagram.com/vetiveah/?hl=en