Black Earth Podcast
Black Earth Podcast
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Black Earth is an interview podcast celebrating nature and black women leaders in the environmental movement. Join us for inspiring, informed and authentic conversations on how we can make a positive impact for people and nature worldwide.
Episodes out every Wednesday. Connect with us online @blackearthpodcast on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok.
Hosted by Marion Atieno Osieyo. Healing our relationship with nature, one conversation at a time.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Nov 22, 2023
Celebrating the end of Season 2: Radical Imagination, Community and Active Hope
Season 2 is complete!
In this episode, the Black Earth team, Marion and Anesu, reflect on their highlights and lessons from Season 2. We reflect on how our relationships with nature are evolving, the importance of radical imagination and re-defining community. We also discuss what active hope means in a world undergoing immense change and crises.
Thank you for being part of our amazing listener community from more than 110 countries! See you in Season 3, which will bloom early 2024. In the meantime, you can listen to our other episodes, stay updated by subscribing to our podcast wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts and connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn @blackearthpodcast.
Episode timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to our final episode
02:26 - How our relationship with nature is changing
13:00 - Our reflections on Season 2
19:32 - How Valerie’s episode inspired Marion to reframe her definition of community
28:25 - How Evie’s episode has inspired Anesu to practice imagination daily
31:26 - The importance of reclaiming radical imagination
38:35 - Active hope in a world of immense change and crises
01:01:00 - How to support Black Earth Outro
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Nov 8, 2023
How African mythology is changing the environmental movement with Atwooki
In our final conversation of Season 2, Environmentalism Reimagined, we meet with Atwooki, creator of Yuniya.
Named after her grandmother, Yuniya is a storytelling platform using African mythology to educate children, parents and caregivers about climate change and Earth care.
Join us in this inspirational conversation as we explore how African mythology and storytelling is making climate action and ‘joyful activism’ more relatable, empowering and culturally relevant.
Through reclaiming African knowledge and building relationships across generations, Yuniya is bringing conversations on climate change, out from policy spaces and street protests into homes and community centres, where they belong.
This is an episode of active hope, enjoy!
Episode time stamps
00:00 - Intro to episode
02:52 - Atwooki’s relationship with nature
06:23 - How a conversation with her son, led Atwooki to create Yuniya
15:11 - What Yuniya do
20:04 - The life-changing impact of Yuniya on children, parents and caregivers
23:31 - How Yuniya has empowered a boy to lead a campaign to change the world map
28:35 - The importance of community education spaces in black liberation movements
30:38 - Marion shares a framework to define what growth looks like in social change
34:05 - Lessons on how we can engage children on climate change and joyful activism in an empowering way
39:48 - How to support black parents and caregivers of black children to feel empowered in Earth care
46:51 - Why the binary of ‘individual action versus systemic change’ limits our possibilities to engage everybody
52:16 - Atwooki’s recommendations to policy-makers
54:31 - How to support Atwooki and Yuniya
01:01:00 - How to support Black Earth
Support Atwooki and Yuniya
Yuniya - https://yuniya.com/pages/home
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
Song credits
The Kora music in this episode is courtesy of Malamin and Yuniya platform
Resource mentioned in the episode
A framework on measuring impact in social change (Scaling Up, Scaling Out, Scaling Deep) by Michele-lee Moore, Darcy Riddell, and Dan Vocisano
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298971574_Scaling_Out_Scaling_Up_Scaling_Deep_Strategies_of_Non-profits_in_Advancing_Systemic_Social_Innovation
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Oct 25, 2023
Disability justice and Earth care with Valerie Novack
Valerie Novack is an incredible policy researcher working at the intersections of disability justice, emergency management response and inclusive city design.
In today’s episode, we dive deep into disability justice and the connections with Earth care. We explore some core elements of disability justice including rest, sustainability, the ability to learn and interdependence and why they are key to helping us reimagine the environmental movement.
Valerie also explains why our definition of community should include our more-than-human beings and how that is connected to disability justice.
This episode is not one to be missed!
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
03:12 Valerie’s relationship with nature
06:27 How Valerie got into disability justice
16:18 What is disability justice
23:40 How rest and sustainability enables disability justice in Earth care
30:02 How the ability to learn enables disability justice in Earth care
31:37 How interdependence is crucial for disability justice
35:32 How and why ableism shows up in Earth care
39:50 Individual action versus systems change
46:18 Why our definition of community should include our relationships with other species
52:15 How disability justice invites us to live values aligned with Earth care
59:55 Disability and wholeness
01:07:00 How to support Valerie and Valerie’s work
01:09:00 How to support Black Earth Podcast
Read the disability justice principles by Sins Invalid
https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice
Support Valerie Novack
Valerie on X - https://twitter.com/MADtastically
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Oct 18, 2023
Becoming Black Girl Environmentalists with Wanjiku Gatheru
Wanjiku 'Wawa' Gatheru is the pioneering Executive Director and Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist. Black Girl Environmentalist is a U.S. organisation dedicated to addressing the leadership pathway and retention issue in the climate movement for Black girls, women and gender-expansive people in the United States.
In this inspiring episode, we explore the mission and vision of Black Girl Environmentalist and its impact in the world. Wawa and I discuss important elements to help you create an empowering, mission-aligned and impactful career in the environmental justice movement. As the rising and returning generation of environmentalists, we also take time to re-member and honor the contributions of our African American elders to the modern environmental justice movement.
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Oct 11, 2023
Understanding abolitionist Earth care with Evie Muir
Evie is a writer, a domestic abuse survivor and specialist, and the founder of Peaks of Colour. Peaks of Colour is a nature-for-healing community group by and for people of colour in England.
In this powerful episode, Evie and I reflect on their experiences as a domestic abuse survivor and specialist and their journey of healing through reconnecting with nature.
We explore abolitionist visions for earth care through Peaks of Colour group.
We discuss important elements for abolitionist Earth care including pleasure, community and land justice.
Evie shares more details on their upcoming book, Radical Rest, and why it is important for anyone committed to Earth care.
Trigger warning: Today's episode contains some serious themes, including Evie's experiences of surviving domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and white supremacy terrorism.
Episode timestamps
0:00 Introducing Evie
03:02 Evie’s relationship with nature
7:55 Evie’s experiences of surviving domestic violence and intimate partner violence
15:20 Evie’s experiences of healing themselves and working in the Violence against Women and Girls sector
25:34 Peaks of Colour and what abolitionist earth care means
39:45 The importance of embodied practice for trauma survivors and why it’s important to lead with what feels good
48:09 How black people can create safety from racialised violence whilst outdoors with nature
57:21 Evie’s upcoming book on ‘Radical Rest’ and why it’s time for soft life in black womanhood
1:07:00 How to support Evie
1:10:00 How to support Black Earth
Support Evie Muir
Support Peaks of Colour - https://www.peaksofcolour.org/
Support Evie Muir - https://eviemuir.com/
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Oct 4, 2023
Planting a homegrown Caribbean movement for climate justice with Derval Barzey
Derval Barzey is the creator of the Climate Conscious podcast, which amplifies the Caribbean perspective on climate change and sustainable development. She's also a leader and expert on the just energy transition in the Caribbean.
In today's episode, we explore what it means to build a homegrown movement in the Caribbean that fosters sustainable development, empowers all people, and ensures meaningful progress on climate justice.
We discuss what a just energy transition looks like in the Caribbean as well as Derval’s motivation for setting up the Caribbean Women for Climate Justice conferences.
Derval also shares with us impactful ways the Caribbean diaspora can contribute to homegrown climate justice in the region.
Episode timestamps
00:00 - Introduction to Derval
03:01 - Derval’s relationship with nature
05:32 - Derval’s appreciation for nature in urban and rural spaces
07:32 - Why Derval chose to work in the energy sector
11:53 - What a just energy transition means
15:02 - Why equity matters in the just energy transition and what it looks like
25:04 - Why Derval set up the Caribbean Women for Climate Justice conference
33:50 - What homegrown sustainable development looks like in the Caribbean
46:22 - Solutions and pathways for homegrown sustainable development in the Caribbean
49:20 - Effective contributions the diaspora can make to realise climate justice in the Caribbean
55:06 - Derval’s reflections on her podcast, Climate Conscious podcast
58:55 - How you can support Derval
01:00:00 - How you can support Black Earth Podcast
If you liked this episode, check out our other podcast episodes with similar themes
* Hurricanes and climate justice in the Caribbean with Marjahn Finlayson
* How gorillas and communities can live in harmony with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Support Derval Barzey
Listen and subscribe to Climate Conscious Podcast - https://theclimateconscious.buzzsprout.com/
Watch and share recordings of the Caribbean Women for Climate Justice Conference #CW4CJ on YouTube
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Sep 27, 2023
Celebrating Indigenous women’s leadership with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Indigenous Peoples make up around five percent of humanity’s population and yet they are some of the world’s best stewards of nature. Their scientific knowledge and ways of living are rooted in a respect for all life on Earth that informs the way they take care of nature. Indigenous Peoples are leading a new revolution in humanity’s relationship with nature.
In this episode, we meet the inspiring Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Hindou is an Indigenous leader from the Mbororo peoples of the Sahel region, Africa. She is the Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and advocates for Indigenous leadership and knowledge in international nature and climate policy.
Join us as we learn about the central role of African Indigenous women in earth care. We also discuss the impacts of climate injustice on Indigenous peoples around the world and solutions to address climate injustice. Hindou also shares encouraging advice to Indigenous girls, women and communities facing climate injustice.
Episode time stamps
00:00 Welcoming Hindou
02:43 Hindou’s relationship with nature
04:38 How belonging to the Mbororo peoples has shaped Hindou’s respect and understanding of nature
08:32 Why Hindou’s best weather app is her grandmother
14:45 The central role of African Indigenous women in community decision-making
21:18 The impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities and how Indigenous Peoples are responding
30:48 What we and ‘developed nations’ need to do for climate justice
35:36 Hindou’s advice to Indigenous women and girls living with the impacts of climate change
38:36 How you can support Hindou
39:19 How you can support Black Earth
Support Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Connect and Follow Hindou on X and Instagram: @hindououmar
Support Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT): https://www.afpat.net/
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Visit our site and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Sep 20, 2023
Gardening as a practice in liberation with Poppy Okotcha
Poppy is a Nigerian-British ecological home grower. Her fundamental belief that we are nature informs her work inspiring and educating millions of people on how to grow food, plants and herbal medicines in their gardens.
Join us in this inspiring conversation as we explore Poppy’s journey from fashion modelling to gardening, and what it means to grow in harmony with Earth. We also discuss how gardening helps us re-imagine the environmental movement and our relationship with nature.
Resources mentioned in the conversation
Book: Urban jungle by Ben Wilson
Article on Ecosia blog: ‘Would the conversation about climate change be different if it weren’t in English?’ by Isabella Siemann
Support Poppy Okotcha
Follow: https://www.poppyokotcha.com/
Connect with Poppy on Instagram: @poppy.okotcha
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Subscribe and read episode transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Sep 13, 2023
Black Earth Podcast: Season 2 Trailer
Welcome back to Black Earth Podcast!
In Season 2, we are re-imagining the environmental movement. Join me in conversation with the leading voices of our time, as we learn about the ideas, solutions, and collectives led by Black women, that are transforming the way we live, we love, and we act for nature.
Support Black Earth Podcast
Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok: @blackearthpodcast
Visit our site: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlackEarthPodcast
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Apr 5, 2023
Celebrating the end of Season 1 with Black Earth team and our listeners!
Season 1 of Black Earth podcast is complete! In this episode, the Black Earth team (Marion and Anesu) reflect on their highlights from Season 1, and what it means to re-member our place and relationship with nature. We are joined by three listeners of the Black Earth Podcast community, Amber, Samia and Marjahn, who also share their highlights.
Thank you for rocking with us and see you in Season 2 which will bloom mid-year 2023. In the meantime, you can stay updated by subscribing to our podcast wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts and connect with us on Instagram, Tiktok and LinkedIn @blackearthpodcast.
Peace!
Episode time stamps
00:00 - Introduction
00:52 - Black Earth Podcast listener - Amber from Texas
01:28 - Our reflections on Amber's feedback - finding community in the environmental movement and being in nature
04:33 - Black Earth Podcast listener - Samia from UK
05:51 - Our reflections on Samia's feedback - climate reparations and reclaiming ideas that have meaning in black communities
13:45 - Profound moments from Season 1
16:43 - The importance of processing black people's deaths in a dignifying way
20:03 - Black Earth Team talk about their relationships with nature
26:56 - Black Earth Podcast guest and listener - Marjahn from Bahamas
29:57 - Our reflections on Marjahn's feedback - centering, affirming, and celebrating our place in nature
37:42 - Season 2 and how you can stay connected with Black Earth Podcast
How you can support and connect with Black Earth
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform
Connect with us on Instagram, Tiktok, and LinkedIn: @blackearthpodcast
Share our episodes: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
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Mar 22, 2023
The values to transform our world with Ife Kilimanjaro
Nature loss and climate change are driven by values that people hold about themselves, other people and nature. So what can we do?
In this episode, I speak with Ife Kilimanjaro about her work with The Wind and The Warrior collective, where she is integrating spirituality, healing and environmental activism. Throughout our conversation, we explore the values necessary to healing our relationship with nature such as living as nature, balance, honouring our ancestors, justice, and uprooting hierarchy.
Ife also shares reflection questions for you to clarify your purpose in the environmental movement. No matter your life story, there’s a place for you in the environmental movement.
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction to episode
05:18 Ife’s relationship with nature
13:29 Why Ife started the Wind and the Warrior collective to integrate spirituality, healing and activism
22:16 The value of honouring our ancestors and each other in the environmental movement
27:00 Justice as an es…
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Mar 15, 2023
Hurricanes and climate justice in the Caribbean with Marjahn Finlayson
Marjahn is a climate change scientist, educator, and activist. Through her work, she addresses the impacts of severe weather in our changing climate, especially for island nations and communities.
In this moving episode, we speak with Marjahn about how climate change is affecting severe weather in the Caribbean, how social inequality affects the way people are impacted by hurricanes, and what climate justice means for the Caribbean region.
Episode timestamps
01:12 Marjahn’s relationship with nature
02:46 How Earth care is expressed in Bahamian culture
06:20 The impact of climate change on hurricanes
12:04 What climate change is and why it’s causing even more severe weather
17:39 How severe weather affects people and nature
23:28 The injustice of climate financing for Caribbean countries
28:28 How race, anti-blackness and gender shape the way people are impacted by climate change in the Caribbean
40:53 The importance of radical change and inclusivity to build new worlds
4…
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Mar 8, 2023
How gorillas and communities can live in harmony with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is an award-winning wildlife vet and the founder of Conservation through Public Health. For more than 20 years, Dr. Gladys has helped local communities and mountain gorillas in Uganda to live healthily and peacefully alongside each other.
In this inspiring episode, we speak with Dr. Gladys about her work with local communities and gorillas, the connection between human health and animal health, and the lessons she has learned as an African woman in nature conservation.
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Dr. Gladys’ relationship with nature
05:22 What inspired Dr. Gladys to work with mountain gorillas
08:22 Why Dr. Gladys started Conservation through Public Health
12:43 How Conservation through Public Health works with communities to take care of nature and stay healthy
18:43 The impact of Conservation through Public Health
22:30 What is one health?
26:18 How we can support one health in our cities and communities
29:49 Dr. Gladys' experi…
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Mar 1, 2023
Reparations for people and nature with Esther Stanford-Xosei
Climate reparations has become an important and often misunderstood issue in climate justice. Whilst much of the discussions focus on paying money to countries that are unjustly impacted by climate change, reparations is so much more than paying compensation for harms done to Earth and communities.
In this episode, we speak with Esther Stanford-Xosei, a leading reparations and law scholar working on reparations policy, research and movement-building around the world.
Esther shares with us what reparations really is, why reparations is important to healing our relationship with Earth, and how we can all take part in reparations.
Episode time stamps
00:00 Welcome to Black Earth and why we are talking about reparations
1:50 Esther’s relationship with nature
5:34 What is reparations?
10:01 The five principles of reparations
16:46 The connection between reparations, environmental justice, and cognitive justice and why it’s important to healing Earth
23:50 Why Esther started the Mbuy…
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Feb 22, 2023
Love, farming and food justice with Leah Penniman
Leah Penniman is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim black people’s ancestral connection to land.
In this episode, I speak with Leah about her personal journey into farming and what it means to cultivate a healthy and just relationship with land through farming. Throughout this inspiring conversation, we celebrate the contributions of black farmers and black growers in America and around the world.
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
1:27 Leah’s relationship with nature
3:55 Landscapes that have shaped Leah’s passion for social justice, farming and food justice
6:02 The connection to land is personal, political and cultural for African-Americans
9:15 How food apartheid shaped her journey to co-founding Soul Fire Farm
12:57 The four elements of a healthy and just relationship with land
16:25…
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Feb 15, 2023
All the feels: understanding eco-anxiety with Jennifer Uchendu
Jennifer Uchendu is an ecofeminist and sustainable development advocate from Lagos, Nigeria. She is the founder of SustyVibes, a youth-led organisation making sustainability actionable and relatable for young Africans. Jennifer is also a pioneering researcher in eco-anxiety, and most recently launched The Eco-Anxiety in Africa Project.
In this episode, I speak with Jennifer about what eco-anxiety is, how power and anti-blackness shape our emotions of eco-anxiety and practical things we can do to safeguard our emotions of eco-anxiety. Grab a cup of tea, this is a powerful episode.
Episode timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to Black Earth podcast
02:13 - Jennifer’s relationship with nature
06:11 - What is eco-anxiety?
09:00 - Why the climate conference in Madrid (COP25) changed her
11:10 - How power shapes our emotions of eco-anxiety
14:52 - What eco-anxiety means for communities most affected by climate change
18:53 - Where’s the place of race in eco-anxiety?
28:55 - Four ways to…
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Feb 8, 2023
Breathing air, breathing justice with Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
In this episode, we meet Rosamund, a clean air advocate from South London. She has been named by Vogue as one of the most influential women in the UK. In 2013, Rosamund’s nine-year-old daughter, Ella Roberta, died from toxic levels of air pollution 25 metres from their home.
In this powerful episode, Rosamund shares with us her personal journey of turning the injustice of her daughter's death into purpose. We discuss the causes and effects of air pollution on our health and the health of the environment. We also explore how air pollution particularly affects black, Asian and ethnic minoritised communities in the UK, and solutions that will make a positive difference in the long-term.
Episode timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to Black Earth podcast
03:13 - Rosamund's relationship with nature
06:21 - Ella's passion and gift for music
07:13 - Ella's story and Rosamund’s journey for justice
11:44 - Grief
12:33 - What is air pollution
13:22 - Impacts of air pollution
14:20 - Sources…
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Jan 25, 2023
Black Earth Podcast Trailer
Welcome to Black Earth Podcast. Listen to our trailer to find out what's in store for you!
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