We formally closed out our first 9-month cohort for our new healing justice and community care offering, Soul ReIntegration! From January - September 2025, we brought together 7 Black women and gender expansive leaders in land stewardship and climate justice together to center radical imagination and creative praxis. Soul ReIntegration provides Black & Brown leaders with creative tools to reflect, process, and build camaraderie.
The cohort explored our exclusive curriculum and practiced creative expression during our two in person retreats and six art studio sessions featuring Black women guest artists working parallel to our movements. This cohort’s program ended in September with the intention to evolve into an artist collective. Soul ReIntegration is a beautiful demonstration of the power of self-work, collective support, creative catharsis, imagination, and play. The embodiment of this work births a necessary paradigm of heart and spirit-centered leadership.
Soul ReIntegration is a project within Soil Generation’s healing justice program, As Within, Soul Without.
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Are you wondering about the extent of the urban agriculture land insecurity issue in Philadelphia? Here’s what the data says.
After decades of erasure, disinvestment, and exclusion, extensive research and data was produced through the Urban Agriculture plan process to legitimize the truths of our communities institutionally AND to propose policy solutions.
The Land Bank, along with 17 other city departments and agencies were very much involved in the urban ag plan process and exposed to this data.
Say NO to the 30 Year+ Mortgage! It is NOT a feasible, viable, accessible, or a true pathway for community land ownership for growers of color in Philadelphia. The data affirms the role of urban agriculture in providing essential food, especially in low income Black and Brown communities where need is dire and nearby food stores do not provide enough access to fresh produce.
We are honored to share our cohort member, Dr. Ashley Gripper (she/her). She is a grower, herbalist, teacher, and community-rooted scholar. Dr. Grip is a Philly native and the Founder of Land Based Jawns, Philadelphia-based small-business and organization rooted in Spirit and Black ancestral practices. Dr. Grip is also an assistant professor at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health and a core faculty member at the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity. Her work focuses on Black people’s connections to Earth and the process of remembering ancestral wisdom. Check out Ash’s upcoming discussion called “Go Back and Get That! Central Lessons on Liberation,” based on her recent contribution to the Land Food Freedom Journal! It is on May 28 at 6pm EST streaming live on YouTube.com/@landfoodfreedom
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Thank you to everyone who came out to kick off the 3rd annual Confluence Film Festival with us! 🌎🎬
Opening Night was a powerful reminder of what happens when community-rooted cinema and climate action come together. From gathering in Dino Hall with community partners tabling (@freelibrary , @PhillyCAM , @newsbyintimedia ) to live painting by @lazybeamarte and music by @hudson.river to Indigenous Brazilian inspired cuisine tasting by @docentrodamaeterra and additional refreshments by @12stcatering , the night truly embodied this year’s theme, "Seeding the Future."
We were honored to share the world premiere of Botany of Nations (dir. @cass_gardiner ), a powerful short reframing botany through Indigenous stewardship and food sovereignty 🌿, followed by the Pennsylvania premiere of MUNDURUKUYU – The Forest Of The Fish Women, an immersive feature set in the Brazilian Amazon 🌊🌳.
Thank you to our collaborators at Academy of Natural Sciences, and to our incredible speakers @cass_gardiner , @zakiamichelle of @soilgeneration , and @gwatsonburkett for grounding us in such rich and urgent conversation.
And most importantly, thank you to everyone who showed up, stayed present, and engaged. This is how we seed the future together! 💫
Photos by @Janae.Kindt
We’re honored to share about our cohort member, Chef Laquanda Dobson (she/her)! Her relationship with SG has been very close over the years and we continue to appreciate all she is and is becoming. Chef Laquanda Dobson is a Philadelphia-born chef, farmer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of food, land, and community. With a deep love for creative expression, Laquanda uses food and farming not only as nourishment, but as a medium for storytelling, cultural connection, and collective healing. Her installations and events often center the foods of the African diaspora, creating space for dialogue, memory, and joy. Upcoming Showcases: Give Thanks to The Beginning, The Soil, The Seed (Saturday, April 11) is a site-specific performance and planting ceremony rooted in the ancestral and agricultural traditions of the African Diaspora. Held at Sankofa Community Farm, this event invites participants to engage in the sacred act of sowing seeds—an offering to the land and the legacy of those who came before us. Giving Thanks (Sunday, June 28th) is an intimate meal and performance gathering under a full moon at Bartram’s Garden to share seasonal food, movement, and ritual rooted in Black ancestral knowledge and land-based gratitude. Through shared dishes, poetic activations, and community presence, the evening reimagines what it means to gather, nourish, and give thanks—together.
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TODAY!!! Cinema meets climate action at Confluence Film Festival 2026! 🌎🎬
We are proud to partner with @acadnatsci for this Earth Month film festival, bringing together stories rooted in land, stewardship, and resistance as part of this year’s theme, "Seeding the Future."
Thursday, April 2nd - Opening Night Schedule:
5-6:30PM - Celebrate in Dinosaur Hall with light refreshments, cash bar, and community partners tabling (@freelibrary , @PhillyCAM , @newsbyintimedia ), plus live painting by @lazybeamarte and music by @hudson.river ! 🎨🎶
6:30PM - Film program begins with the world premiere of Botany of Nations (dir. @cass_gardiner ), a powerful short reframing botany through Indigenous stewardship and food sovereignty 🌿 followed by the Pennsylvania premiere of MUNDURUKUYU – The Forest Of The Fish Women, an immersive feature set in the Brazilian Amazon. 🌊🌳
Stay for a post-screening Q&A with Cass Gardiner, Zakia Elliot (@soilgeneration ) and @gwatsonburkett .
Get your tickets - link in bio! 🎟️✨
Join us for the first night of our third annual Confluence Film Festival — a month-long environmental film series held each April in celebration of Earth Month. Enjoy live music by vibraphonist Hudson River, and savor a special Indigenous Brazilian tasting, refreshments and a cash bar. Connect with our opening night partner @cinespeak local advocacy organizations and fellow guests as we kick off our 2026 festival in a warm, lively atmosphere.
Our film program for the evening features Botany of Nations (dir. Cass Gardiner) and the Pennsylvania premiere of MUNDURUKUYÜ – The Forest of the Fish Women (dirs. Aldira Akay, Beka Munduruku, and Rilcélia Akay). These powerful films explore Indigenous knowledge, food sovereignty and the deep relationships between people and plants. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with @cass_gardiner , Zakia Elliot of @soilgeneration and moderator Gabriela Watson-Burkett of @newsbyintimedia .
Tickets available online at ansp.org and at the door!
📆 Thursday, April 2, 5-8:30 p.m.
Join us for the first night of the third annual Confluence Film Festival — a month-long environmental film series held each April in celebration of Earth Month.
Next week, on April 2nd, @cinespeak will screen two films: Botany of Nations (dir. Cass Gardiner) and the Pennsylvania premiere of MUNDURUKUYÜ – The Forest of the Fish Women (dirs. Aldira Akay, Beka Munduruku, and Rilcélia Akay).
These powerful films explore Indigenous knowledge, food sovereignty and the deep relationships between people, plants and the Amazon forest. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with Cass Gardiner, our SG Co-Director Zakia Elliott and moderator Gabriela Watson-Burkett.
Be sure to arrive early to enjoy live music by vibraphonist Hudson River, and savor a special Indigenous Brazilian tasting, refreshments and a cash bar. Connect with local advocacy organizations and fellow guests as we kick off our 2026 festival in a warm, lively atmosphere.
RSVP using the link in our bio! We hope to see you there!
We are excited to collaborate with @acadnatsci for Confluence Film Festival 2026! 🌎🌱
Confluence a month-long Earth Month film festival centered on this year’s theme, "Seeding the Future." Together, we are bringing powerful environmental cinema into conversation with community action and imagination.
Thursday, April 2nd:
5-6:30PM - Celebrate in Dinosaur Hall with light refreshments, cash bar, and community partners tabling (@freelibrary , @PhillyCAM , @newsbyintimedia ), plus live painting by @lazybeamarte and music by @hudson.river ! 🎨🎶
6:30PM - Film program begins with the world premiere of Botany of Nations (dir. @cass_gardiner ), a powerful short reframing botany through Indigenous stewardship and food sovereignty 🌿 followed by the Pennsylvania premiere of MUNDURUKUYU – The Forest Of The Fish Women, an immersive feature set in the Brazilian Amazon. 🌊🌳
Stay for a post-screening Q&A with Cass Gardiner, Zakia Elliott (@soilgeneration ) and @gwatsonburkett .
Tickets available - link in bio! 🎟️
We’re thrilled to share about our cohort member Leah Humphrey (she/her)! Leah is a writer, director, and climate justice organizer. Leah’s work often focuses on family origins, mental health, and politics through an Afro-surrealist lens. During our cohort experience, Leah completed writing and filming her screenplay, and defended her thesis, graduating with her MFA in Film and Television Directing from DePaul University! Leah’s film Kansas was recently selected for the 2025 Vancouver International Black Film Festival, which can be attended virtually! It’s happening Dec 5-9. Check out our IG story and highlights of cohort members to find the link!
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E Morales-Williams has been an invaluable presence in our Soul Reintegration Cohort this year. They carry grounded wisdom, joyful passion for life, and deeply thoughtful intention with them everywhere they go, and we are so grateful! During our cohort program, E brought their immersive dance theatre project, The Land Alchemists, to completion! And it’s premiering THIS WEEKEND! The Land Alchemists is a cultural organizing project that has drawn its storyline from the voices and visions of Philadelphian organizers, farmers, and dancers, through a series of sacred visioning circles and feedback integration sessions from this past year. This is a fundraiser where all proceeds will be split between the Panzi Foundation (@panzifoundation ) of the Congo, and Camp Breakerz (@campbreakerz ) of Gaza, Palestine. Buy tickets today, don’t miss it! /o/e-morales-williams-115961672081
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We are excited to share our article A Resource for Recovery and ReIntegration in The Land Food Freedom Journal Volume II Issue I ! In the last couple years, we as a collective actively engaged in years of intentional training, knowledge-seeking, and experiential catharsis through literature, film, research, bodywork, spiritual alignment, and introspection. We discovered and dove into some powerful resources to help us along the way. In this article, we review six of those resources that helped guide us through the inevitable messiness from shaping the future while simultaneously dismantling the existing conditions. This work ushered us into the creation of our forthcoming publication Soul ReIntegration: An Artistic Self-Exploration and Healing Journey, a curriculum guidebook designed to help process personal experiences, grief and loss, to reframe gratitude, and to ignite imagination for our futures. This article is a soft introduction into this soon-to-be available resource we have been cooking up for our communities. This offering comes in direct response to our own experiences with institutional and relational harm, the awareness through our relationships that these are widespread challenges echoing through our communities, and our personal creative catharsis praxis.
Link is in our bio!
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