Water Bear
Cooperative Land Project
OUR VISION
We envision a world where Black People are equipped to live in a loving reciprocal relationship with Mother Earth and each other. We know that our liberation is deeply tied to the land and our relationship with her. Black and indigenous folks have been dispossessed continuously and the harm that it has caused our communities are immeasurable. In a deep lineage of freedom fighters, we fight back by collectivizing and creating alternatives to combat oppression.
Water Bear Cooperative Land Project will establish a culture of holistic growth for several generations to come while paying homage to the cultures of our heritage.
We see this new future becoming reality through 5 areas of deliberate practice:
Sustainability & Stewardship
We have neglected sustainable practices and rituals that kept us in balance with Mother Earth. The ways we are living are unsustainable. We need new ways of being in relationship to the planet and have a responsibility to correct the harm we have caused. WBCLP will teach holistic living and stewardship through farming education, hands-on skill shares, and learning immersions.
Community & Cultural Organizing
Restoration of the black psyche and community is imperative on both micro and macro levels. We believe that having a strong cultural identity and powerful community awakens a deep ability to be in our full agency and self-determine in ways that meet our needs.
Conflict Resolution & Peace Strategies
Living in unity and harmony with others must be learned and takes work. This requires more environments where we can learn and train in peacemaking, conflict resolution, communication, mediation, and transformative justice.
Healing & Restoration
Nestled in the hills of Middle Tennessee, our healing and retreat center will provide a much needed oasis for the soul. We need spaces to rest and rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit. Black joy and restoration is a revolutionary act. We will cultivate spaces of comfort and safety for the whole Black person.
Preparedness & Survival
Natural and man-made disasters continue to be awakenings around our failing infrastructures. While there are some things that we can never anticipate, there are ways we can be ready when a crisis hits. We are dedicated to the African principle of "Akoben" meaning readiness. We need not only rapid response and mobilization but a system and culture around preparedness for the emergencies to come.
