Season 7 | Community of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) | Episode 14
#113 | You owe it to your ancestors to maintain that land
May 29, 2019 | Fahamisha Amkajinaki
Along with her family, Fahamisha Amkajinaki is a forest landowner of her ancestral homeplace in Northeastern North Carolina. “Misha,” as she is known to her friends, grew up in New Jersey and lived an entrepreneurial life before returning to the land that her grandfather purchased in 1895. Today, she is making creative, purposeful, and environmentally sustainable use of this treasured property and benefiting from the information, support and examples of others in the SFLR community. Find out what legacy Fahamisha wishes to build on the family land on this week’s episode.
Key Takeaways:
[1:40] A message from Leadership Nature.
[2:25] A quick intro about Fahamisha’s background.
[3:55] How did Fahamisha get reconnected to her grandfather’s land?
[7:35] What was the transition first like from going from a cement jungle to the woods?
[11:35] Fahamisha didn’t realize how disconnected she was from Mother Nature until she came back to the family farm.
[13:05] Fahamisha shares a bit of the land’s history.
[16:15] What are Fahamisha’s goals for the property?
[24:35] Fahamisha wonders why schools in her rural community are not teaching children about nature-related topics like forestry and the environment that they’re constantly exposed to.
[28:45] How did Fahamisha first discover/get started in the SFLR program?
[39:35] Fahamisha completely understands why so many African Americans landowners are cautious to work with outsiders.
[44:00] How does Fahamisha educate her siblings and family members about the land?
[55:30] Fahamisha is so happy she came back to the land and was able to use the resources and wisdom from experts in her community.
[57:15] What advice does Fahamisha have for other landowners?
[1:00:55] Don’t understand something at a workshop? Go again! There’s no shame in taking it all in once, twice, three times, or more!
[1:04:15] Your ancestors went through A LOT to keep that land, so honor them by understanding your history and getting back in touch with it.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Website for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities: Usendowment.org
More information on the SFLR Program: Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR)
More information on USDA NRCS, go to: NRCS
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