Melanated Medicinals Farm
Donation protected
Hello, friend!
This campaign will help us create infrastructure and purchase equipment necessary to break ground on the medicinal herb & food farm and educational retreat; an integral part of the Melanated Medicinals vision. Thank you so much to all that take their time to consider and join us on the path towards collective liberation.
The Story
I have a vivid memory of jumping up and down on my great grandmothers bed when I was very young. Lizzie is what we called her. She taught me playfulness, love, compassion, and so much more. I remember stories from my mother about my grandmother using herbal medicine for them when they were young; boiling sassafras to make headache remedies… Every story meant the world to me; and now I have found myself caring for the people around me using the same plant allies they did.
When I arrived in Oakland after spending all of my life in Baltimore; I had no idea what to expect. I found myself a bit shocked by the Bay Area "culture," and taking care of many house plants in my room kept me grounded. After the realization that the herbs were so important to my day to day well-being, I sought after more knowledge of how I could make use of plants more for myself and those around me. I began taking classes and started my own garden so that I could learn to love the Earth and her children hands-on.
In the future I hope the Melanated Medicinals farm becomes a model of sustainable, thoughtful, community oriented farm that supports our moving into an uncertain future. I hope that artists, farmers, people in need of solitude, all walks of life find their way to the farm for healing, peace, and a reminder of why caring for the land is so important. I see the building of a diverse, cooperative community of people from many backgrounds supporting the land and each other.
Business Description
Melanated Medicinals was born out of a long search for ancestry through creativity and spirituality; and then the healing of the pain within that history through the use of traditional/ancestral medicine. I recognize that all of my ancestors have been important on this journey through life and that they walk with me every day. For that reason I feel that life should be about honoring them and their legacies; as well as healing the pain that they've endured and have unconsciously passed down.
My biggest challenge now is to prepare the land and infrastructure for growing and processing in the spring.
One of the aspects of Melanated Medicinals that excites me the most is that my business partners are my mother and father. I am so proud to honor my parents by having them alongside me for this journey, creating a legacy for future generations. My hope is that this will not only help sustain the lives of my wonderful parents; but it will also reawaken the farming spirit in more of my family and other black people.
Melanated Medicinals is now a legal grower of Hemp (one of very few minority holders of a hemp growing license) and the same farmland will be used as a medicinal herb and food, and educational farm retreat. As the farm continues to grow in the future, I hope the Melanated Medicinals farm becomes a model of a sustainable, thoughtful, community oriented farm that supports our moving into an uncertain future. I hope that artists, farmers, people in need of solitude, all walks of life find their way to the farm for healing, peace, and a reminder of why caring for the land and each other is so important.
What is the purpose of funding?
The work that I do with plants is a true work of love. I have been so grateful for the healing my community has received from my small home garden. The garden means everything to me and the abundance it gives to myself, my loved ones, and the community around me is a true blessing. It is a true joy to care, sing, dance with and harvest the plants. Every part of the process is bliss...
$8,000 will enable Melanated Medicinals to purchase infrastructure and equipment necessary to begin the medicinal herb & food farm and educational retreat; an integral part of the Melanated Medicinals vision. This fund will allow the purchasing of 2 buildings ($5,000), land preparation ($1,000), a walk-behind tractor ($1,000), and other small farm equipment ($1,000).
The impact of this can not be understated. It will allow Melanated Medicinals to serve a larger community, provide quality education and medicinal herbs and foods, and increase revenue and profit; thus making the business more sustainable and accessible to consumers. On a more personal note; it will allow my family to come back to the land. My great grandfather and great grandmother are surely smiling; watching this business grow into something that will support collective liberation for many people. I am so grateful for the opportunity to support both my family and the communities of people that I love so very much.
My hope is that this fund not only allows us to grow wonderful plants; but that it also allows us to build a wonderful community. I invite you to be a part of our collective liberation.
Video created by Awake Storytelling!
This campaign will help us create infrastructure and purchase equipment necessary to break ground on the medicinal herb & food farm and educational retreat; an integral part of the Melanated Medicinals vision. Thank you so much to all that take their time to consider and join us on the path towards collective liberation.
The Story
I have a vivid memory of jumping up and down on my great grandmothers bed when I was very young. Lizzie is what we called her. She taught me playfulness, love, compassion, and so much more. I remember stories from my mother about my grandmother using herbal medicine for them when they were young; boiling sassafras to make headache remedies… Every story meant the world to me; and now I have found myself caring for the people around me using the same plant allies they did.
When I arrived in Oakland after spending all of my life in Baltimore; I had no idea what to expect. I found myself a bit shocked by the Bay Area "culture," and taking care of many house plants in my room kept me grounded. After the realization that the herbs were so important to my day to day well-being, I sought after more knowledge of how I could make use of plants more for myself and those around me. I began taking classes and started my own garden so that I could learn to love the Earth and her children hands-on.
In the future I hope the Melanated Medicinals farm becomes a model of sustainable, thoughtful, community oriented farm that supports our moving into an uncertain future. I hope that artists, farmers, people in need of solitude, all walks of life find their way to the farm for healing, peace, and a reminder of why caring for the land is so important. I see the building of a diverse, cooperative community of people from many backgrounds supporting the land and each other.
Business Description
Melanated Medicinals was born out of a long search for ancestry through creativity and spirituality; and then the healing of the pain within that history through the use of traditional/ancestral medicine. I recognize that all of my ancestors have been important on this journey through life and that they walk with me every day. For that reason I feel that life should be about honoring them and their legacies; as well as healing the pain that they've endured and have unconsciously passed down.
My biggest challenge now is to prepare the land and infrastructure for growing and processing in the spring.
One of the aspects of Melanated Medicinals that excites me the most is that my business partners are my mother and father. I am so proud to honor my parents by having them alongside me for this journey, creating a legacy for future generations. My hope is that this will not only help sustain the lives of my wonderful parents; but it will also reawaken the farming spirit in more of my family and other black people.
Melanated Medicinals is now a legal grower of Hemp (one of very few minority holders of a hemp growing license) and the same farmland will be used as a medicinal herb and food, and educational farm retreat. As the farm continues to grow in the future, I hope the Melanated Medicinals farm becomes a model of a sustainable, thoughtful, community oriented farm that supports our moving into an uncertain future. I hope that artists, farmers, people in need of solitude, all walks of life find their way to the farm for healing, peace, and a reminder of why caring for the land and each other is so important.
What is the purpose of funding?
The work that I do with plants is a true work of love. I have been so grateful for the healing my community has received from my small home garden. The garden means everything to me and the abundance it gives to myself, my loved ones, and the community around me is a true blessing. It is a true joy to care, sing, dance with and harvest the plants. Every part of the process is bliss...
$8,000 will enable Melanated Medicinals to purchase infrastructure and equipment necessary to begin the medicinal herb & food farm and educational retreat; an integral part of the Melanated Medicinals vision. This fund will allow the purchasing of 2 buildings ($5,000), land preparation ($1,000), a walk-behind tractor ($1,000), and other small farm equipment ($1,000).
The impact of this can not be understated. It will allow Melanated Medicinals to serve a larger community, provide quality education and medicinal herbs and foods, and increase revenue and profit; thus making the business more sustainable and accessible to consumers. On a more personal note; it will allow my family to come back to the land. My great grandfather and great grandmother are surely smiling; watching this business grow into something that will support collective liberation for many people. I am so grateful for the opportunity to support both my family and the communities of people that I love so very much.
My hope is that this fund not only allows us to grow wonderful plants; but that it also allows us to build a wonderful community. I invite you to be a part of our collective liberation.
Video created by Awake Storytelling!
Organizer
Sun English
Organizer
Baltimore, MD
