BIPOC Conservation Spring Recap
Woah…where did spring go?!
Time is flying and yet, our BIPOC Conservation community continues to prioritize time with one another, community connection, and environmental learning and leadership. True to the ecological nature and pattern of spring, our human connections with one another grow stronger with bursts of heat, sunlight, and rain.
In April, we enjoyed a meet-up facilitated by community organizer and advocate Ridhi D'Cruz and met in circle in Alberta Park on an early spring evening as we dropped in and shared our climate concerns, grief, and reflected on how that impacts our own mental and spiritual well being as environmentalists. The change of seasons in Portland often illuminates the change we each feel within ourselves as we move from inward, more introspective experiences and the quiet of winter into a fresh, crisp, brighter time that works toward the light.
Another reflection from the April meet up was the simple fact that many BIPOC folx within the conservation community truly need a space to drop in and become vulnerable and seen. There is always time for strategies, agendas, initiatives and grant funding efforts - but mind/body balance is so crucial in this process in order for the work and passion to remain. Thank you Ridhi for making space for us to process this connection and hold space with one another in this way!
Last week, we met up at Black Futures Farm in SE Portland and were hosted by Nia Harris who oversees Community Programs and Outreach. As we gathered at wood tables under fruit trees in the middle of the lush and verdant working farm, the group started the evening off with a mindfulness meditation led by Nia. This was an absolute gift as the sunset behind the west hills, and the sound of the breeze relaxed the group and transitioned them into an evening of stewardship and meditative practice with the land and plants. We meditated, we weeded, we trimmed mustard greens, harvested fresh mint, and closed our night out with long conversations and a meal outside. As the group worked with their hands and bodies, many of us reflected on the history of this act and questioned how and if we desired to reframe this ancestral work and sometimes trauma so many of us inherited. We were also left to consider: what in our lives needs weeding and trimming in order so that we might grow more and thrive?
It was a truly gorgeous evening of wisdom, introspection, movement, and perspective shift. We are so grateful to have this new relationship with Black Futures Farm and the amazing Nia Harris as we shape our narratives around working the land.
