| Birth date | 1980 (age 46–47) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Massachusetts |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Farmer, educator, author. Co-executive director of Farm Operations, Soul Fire Farm |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Clark University |
| Education | MA in Science Education, BA in Environmental Science and International Development |
| Awards | James Beard Foundation Leadership Award |
Leah Penniman (multi-pronoun),[1] (c. 1980) is an American farmer, educator, author, and food sovereignty activist.[2] 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 Massachusetts with two siblings.[3][4] Her interest in nature began in her childhood, as nature provided an escape from the racial discrimination that Penniman claimed to have suffered.[5] Penniman began farming as a teenager, working with The Food Project,[3] a Boston- based, nonprofit food producer.[6] Their passion for farming continued as they attended farming conferences throughout Massachusetts.[5] Penniman received an MA in Science Education and BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University.[1] After graduation, Penniman lived in a food desert in Albany, New York and after the birth of her first child, they received assistance from WIC,[3] an organization that facilitates nutrition in at risk individuals.[7] While living in Albany, Penniman had limited access to fresh produce. Penniman and her husband Jonah Vitale-Wolff were able to acquire vegetables for their children, though the cost totaled more than that of their rental payment. Their desire to provide high quality food inspired the creation of Soul Fire Farm,[5] which 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.[3]
In 2017, She was named a Soros Equality Fellow, offered through the Open Society Foundation.[8]
In 2018, Penniman published Farming While Black.[5] In 2019, Penniman was awarded the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award after a variety of food accessibility initiatives were established through her input.[9]
In 2023, Penniman published her second book, "Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists" (Harper Collins/Amistad, February 2023)[10]
References
- ^ "Leah Penniman". SOUL FIRE FARM. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
- ^ Meiers, Andrea (2017). "Growing a Relationship With the Land". Country Woman Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ "Farming's badly needed 'Blackstension agent'". www.dirt-mag.com. Archived October 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ Phillips, Kynala (August 19, 2020). "Gardening as a Radical Act". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived September 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ Boscamp, Emi (2019). "Leah Penniman started her own farm to end racism in the food system". Today. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ^ "About Us | The Food Project". thefoodproject.org. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
- ^ "WIC Program Overview and History". National WIC Association. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
- ^ "Open Society Foundations Announce 2017 Soros Equality Fellows". www.opensocietyfoundations.org. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
- ^ "2019 Leadership Award Winner Leah Penniman | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Archived October 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ "Black Earth Wisdom". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2026-04-09.