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In Episode 6 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we’re honored to spotlight one of the enduring pillars of food justice and cultural stewardship in the Virgin Islands: Mama Benita Martin of We Grow Food, Inc.

Born in Detroit and rooted in Chicago before finding home in the hills of Bordeaux, St. Thomas, Mama Benita has spent decades cultivating more than crops—she’s cultivated community, culture, and consciousness.
In this episode, Mama Benita shares her journey and reflections as:

-----A farmer, educator, and founding force within the Bordeaux farming movement
-----A mother, mentor, and disability rights advocate supporting inclusive access to land and opportunity
-----A powerful public speaker, grant writer, and culture bearer uplifting African identity in the U.S. Virgin Islands
-----A tireless activist connecting the dots between food, land, education, and liberation

Whether she’s representing We Grow Food at national conferences or lending a hand to sister farmers on St. Croix, Mama Benita leads with vision and love. This episode is a tribute to her legacy, her laughter, and the life she’s dedicated to growing justice from the ground up.

Learn more at: www.goodfoodvi.org

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In this heartwarming episode of “Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom”, we sit down with the owners of Mystical Farms VI in St. Croix, Randall and Lindsey Simmonds, who have spent over two decades growing food, nurturing land, and raising a family committed to self-sufficiency and community wellness.

What started in 2003 with one crop has grown into a multi-generational way of life—blending homeschooling, a landscaping business, and resilient farming practices that center sustainability and service to others.

In this episode, they share:

• What it looks like to raise a family with intention, tradition, and purpose
• Why farming is a family practice, a lifestyle, and a form of resistance
• How Mystical Farms VI is modeling sovereign food systems for the territory and
• The joys and challenges of building a home and future around the land that feeds us all

This is a story about growing together—on the land, in love, and for the future.

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In this deeply insightful episode of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown sits down with Dr. Hadiya Sewer, philosopher, environmental justice advocate, and Co‑Founder & President of St. JanCo: the St. John Heritage Collective. Together, they explore the vital intersections of land rights, food sovereignty, and environmental justice on the island of St. John and throughout the Virgin Islands. They also discuss how Dr. Sewer's mission of fostering sustainable, community-led stewardship of land and culture in the face of climate crisis and ongoing colonial legacies continues to fuel her work locally and nationally.

In this episode you will hear:
---How land conservation becomes revolutionary when centered in liberation and autonomy
---The importance of preserving ancestral heritage, advocating for land rights, and reshaping land-use planning in environmentally resilient ways, and
---What food and land justice look like in practice—and why they’re inseparable from cultural survival in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This is not just a conversation about land - it is an invitation to listen, learn, and support efforts that center Indigenous and Caribbean sovereignty. It’s about building sustainable ecologies, reclaiming ancestral stewardship, and imagining futures rooted in justice.

Learn more about St. JanCo and their work at www.stjanco.org

Explore Dr. Hadiya Sewer’s broader work and philosophy at www.hadiyasewer.com

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