iEat Green Shares Interview with Stephanie Morningstar and Christine Hutchinson from the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust.

Posted on July 3, 2020

Hi Everyone,

I am very happy to know organizations like the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust exist. They were founded in 2019, so they are still in their infancy stage, but they are making great headway in consciously working to acquire land through reparations, re-distribution, Faith Land Return Kits, and universities.

Stephanie Morningstar is the Coordinator of the organization and Christine Hutchinson is a board member. They both bring their own unique experiences to the table which informs their current work. Stephanie is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Oneida Nation. She is a Herbalist, a soil and seed steward, a scholar, and a student. She shared with us during the show, some of the trauma her family personally experienced with assimilation programs, residential schools, and white coat syndrome (fear of doctors in white coats.) She considers herself an Earth Worker, dedicated to decolonizing and liberating minds, hearts, and land, one plant, person, ecosystem, and non-human being at a time. She grows medicines and food for her community at Sky World Apothecary & Farm; and is involved with Indigenous-led climate change and food sovereignty research projects.

Christine Hutchinson is a veteran teacher in Newburgh, NY., who is passionate about working with youth. She is the the education coordinator for Downing Park Urban Farm, which a working community farm that grows vegetables, fruits and flowers and provides educational programs for local youth and residents. This work keeps her involved with food justice issues, equity issues, and land access issues, which is what brought her to the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. Christine noticed that after her interns finished their internship, they had no way to continue working on the land, because it was too expensive to purchase or lease. Land access is the #1 barrier to food sovereignty. That reality is what motivated her to get involved with the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust.