Leah Penniman
Leah Penniman is an American farmer, educator, author, and food sovereignty activist. Penniman is co-founder, co-director and Program Manager of Soul Fire Farm, in Grafton, New York.
Biography
Leah Penniman was born to Reverend doctor Adele Smith Penniman, an African-American and Haitian American pastor and activist, and a white father. Penniman was raised in central Massachusetts with two siblings. Penniman began farming at age 16, working with The Food Project in Boston in 1996. Penniman received an MA in Science Education and BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University. After graduation, Penniman lived in a food desert in Albany, New York and was on WIC after giving birth. This experience led Penniman to focus on the need for food sovereignty in Black and Brown communities.In 2006, Penniman purchased 72-acres of land in Grafton, New York to co-found Soul Fire Farm, and the farm officially opened in 2011. The name is taken from the song Soulfire by Lee "Scratch" Perry and originally focused on a farm share for low-income people. The farm's flagship program is the Black Latinx Farmers Immersion, a 50-hour course to train beginner farmers. By 2018, 500 individuals had taken the course.
In 2018, Penniman published Farming While Black. In 2019, Penniman was awarded the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for facilitating food sovereignty programs.