Spring Greetings 🌻

Spring Greetings

Many months have passed since our last newsletter. We've been busy working on various projects including the very exciting Rootz Into Food Growing, wrapping up work on Emerging Land Voices, raising money with the Quilt Fundraiser and dedicating time to crafting our internal processes and structures so that we can blossom and flourish as we grow.
Often times little grassroots collectives like ourselves aren't give the space to breathe once we become more public. Part of this problem is the fact that there aren't that many groups that are Black-led and speaking to Black and people of colour about land and food justice, especially within a reparative justice framework.
After Black Lives Matter re-entered mainstream consciousness we were put in the spotlight within the agroecological/regenerative farming movements and the land/climate justice movements. All the while we were still building our capacity and trying to define who we are and what we are not. This is something that we will continue to do: sustaining people, valuing our labour and energy and centring care. This sort of work is not external output-focused and at times we felt stifled. How can we do this work when we have deadlines and demands? We are still working this out and we are still learning and making mistakes. Thank you for the patience and compassion you have extended us, we hope that the updates below will make you as excited as we are. 

ROOTZ INTO FOOD GROWING

Since February we have been conducting research into Black growers and growers of colour with experience of social enterprise/sustaining livelihoods in London and the pan-London area. Commercial growing in London is already pretty small and concentrated in east and north-east London, however we were able to interview ten growers and hear their stories. Due to the Lockdown our interviews were conducted over zoom yet we were able to connect with ten amazing people who have pursued food-growing as a source of income. It was beautiful connecting with the community we were founded to support. Everyone gifted us their stories with a generosity we hope we reciprocate in the research report that Josina Calliste led on with support from Marcus MacDonald and Sam Siva.
We will be launching our findings on Tuesday 25th May in an event
more information coming soon 
You can read more about Rootz Into Food Growing here
Illustration by Javie Huxley

Can You See Us: Reparations & ORFC Global 2021

We've published a new blog! Sam finally got around to writing a little about this year's Oxford Real Farming Conference - but with a twist. Using ORFC as a springboard to share LION's working definition of Reparations, Sam shares some talks (now available on youtube) that explore what reparations can look like in the land and food justice movement. Below is an extract from our definition:
 

Reparative justice is holistic. In addition to financial reparations to secure economic resilience, reparations must address ecological, mental and physical repair as essential parts of a wider whole. Reparations is about redistributing resources to Black and People of Colour, but it is also about creating the space for BPOC to heal and repair. 

Read the full article here.

Quilt Fundraiser

For the past few months we’ve been working with Jess from Public Library Quilts and Sui from Decolonise the Garden for a fundraiser and raffle in which money raised would go directly to LION’s forthcoming Growers Grant project and a handmade quilt would be awarded to a randomly selected entrant. The journey of hundreds of naturally dyed fabrics to Jess began in December. Jess designed this beautiful quilt which caught the attention of material culture magazine Tatter as well as quilt and natural dye enthusiasts around the world. Once the quilt was completed we began the fundraiser and raffle entry in April and over the course of the month we were able to raise over £18,000 ! It was incredibly heart-warming to receive so much support knowing that the funds will go on to support Black growers and growers of colour.

You can read more about our reflections on the fundraiser on our blog soon! For now give Jess's article for Tatter a read here.