Winning by sowing the seeds of empowerment- Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm

Send us Fan MailWINNING BY SOWING THE SEEDS OF EMPOWERMENTInterviewee Leah Penniman and Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz are good friends with Jon's essential peace teacher (and prior Beat the Prosecution podcast guest) Jun Yasuda, whose beautiful peace pagoda is less than two miles from Leah's Soul Fire Farm. Leah's story is one of never giving up nor giving in, which is also essential for criminal defense. She experienced substantial racism while growing up, and kept persevering, including with learning about farming. Long ago, Leah, her husband and children lived in an Albany food desert, and ultimately, she and her husband bought the farmland that is now Soul Fire Farm. Leah did not stop at merely opening a farm, but has a nonprofit to assist lower income people with food, and welcomes countless people to learn about self empowerment and farming. Leah tells some captivating stories, including about African women who would braid seeds into their hair, to have them available for planting in the event they were forced into slavery. Leah does not candy coat the hurdles in life, the history of racism (including in farming), and the continuing racism found too extensively in society. She recognizes those hurdles and continues persevering. Leah's thoughts on helping criminal defendants, are, aptly, for them to remember that they and all beings are sacred. I recommend donating to Soul Fire Farm, and reading Leah's books Farming While Black- Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land, and Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists (2023). Coming next is Children of the Land: A Soul Fire Farm Parenting Guide, authored by Leah and her child Neshima. Here is the video version of this episode. Here is the Apple podcast version. This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://KatzJustice.com or contact us at [email protected], 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text).  If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675