Welcome!
This collection of resources is here to support and inspire you - Catholic sisters, staff, associates, and other allies of religious land justice - as you continue to deepen your education. As always, we are learning our way forward together, and we hope you glean as much from these vibrant conversations and presentations as we do.
New to land justice? Start here.
This 12 minute video is a brief excerpt from our Land Justice Futures course, and begins to introduce a definition of land justice and a case for why it matters. It’s a great place to start.
Below, you’ll find our upcoming live events, the Land Justice Futures course, some handy Imagination Briefs, case studies and past events. Enjoy!
Our Free Flagship Course:
Special Feature:
Land Justice Futures is our inaugural five-part course that explores land justice as a critical component of religious property discernment. Originally launched in 2022, you can now get access to the full session recordings, transcripts, and discussion guides; or you can just go take in the inspiring videos on Youtube.
START LEARNING →
When the Vatican issued a repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, a collection of 15th-century papal bulls that supported the invasion and capture of non-Christian lands and the genocide and enslavement of non-Christian people, we hosted movement partners to discuss what this historic moment means for them, their communities, and the world.
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Watch the replays of previous events:
canon law & land justice: alienating property as a religious community
In this talk and Q+A, Sr. Sharon Euart, RSM, Executive Director of the Resource Center for Religious Institutes and an established canon lawyer, discusses the canonical process of alienating property as a religious community.
Cultural Sensitivity for Land Justice Collaborations
The Center for Ethical Land Transition (CELT) once again helps us dive into the practical elements of a genuine land offer, sharing stories of "threshold moments" for landowners moving through transitions and supporting us in recognizing and taking responsibility for the times we mess up. Whether this is your first training or your fourth, the rich learnings and expanded time for discussion offer enrichment for anyone considering a partnership with BIPOC land stewards.
Moving Toward Repair: Boarding Schools and Land Justice
The Indian Boarding School policy an effort by the U.S. government to reduce and assimilate Native people. Catholics ran at least 87 schools, the impacts of which have been recognized by Pope Francis as cultural genocide: loss of land, language, culture, and life.
In this conversation, Maka Black Elk (Oglala Lakota) and Henry Greengrass (Ho-Chunk / Bad River Ojibwe) explore the connection between boarding school healing and land justice, and offer insight into how religious communities might participate in repair.
BIPOC LAND ACCESS AND THE FARM BILL
The 2023 Farm Bill will determine U.S. land policy more than any other policy in the next decade. Martice Scales, a Wisconsin-based farmer and a Land Advocacy Fellow for the National Young Farmers Coalition, will share about the efforts to ensure that BIPOC land access is part of this bill. Hear about his own family story of generational land loss, and learn specific ways your community can support #OneMillionAcres of equitable land access.
a win for the people, the salmon, and the web of life: how the wimmenem wintu reclaimed 1800 acres of ancestral land
Chief Caleen Sisk and Michael Preston of the Winnemem Wintu, Anne Symens-Bucher of Canticle Farm, and Cassandra Ferrera of the Center for Ethical Land Transition tell the story of their recent land return VICTORY, bringing over 1800 acres of ancestral land back into community relationship and stewardship.
INTRODUCTION TO LAND JUSTICE AND TRANSFORMING “PROPERTY”
We define “land justice” as the practice of centering ecological healing and racial repair in decisions about how land is used, loved, and governed by people.
In this 90-minute event, we explore the connections between climate change, racism, and our property system; the elements of a land justice property plan; and real case studies of just land transitions.
Interview & Dialogue: Indigenous Reconciliation & Repair
Reconciliation Rising co-directors Kevin Abourezk (Lakota) and Margaret Jacobs (settler) share what they’ve learned from working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the U.S. who are honestly confronting painful histories and creating pathways to reconciliation. Eric Anglada interviews them about practical examples of repair and current issues facing Indigenous communities in the U.S.
case study & dialogue II: Oneida Women Return to their Homeland
A collective of traditional Oneida women are reunited with ancestral lands after 200 years of separation through a land donation from Liseli Haines. Hear from Michelle Schenandoah and Haines about “both sides” of this collaboration - the spiritual, moral and legal discernment involved, and the healing relationships it brought about.
case study & dialogue III: Central Virginia Agrarian Commons
The Central Virginia Agrarian Commons is a network of BIPOC farmers and commonly-held lands in the Richmond, VA area. Through a hybrid process of a title donation and a life estate, Callie Walker is giving 100 acres of farmland to the CVAC. Listen as she and CVAC leader Duron Chavis discuss this project as a part of a regional effort to support Black food sovereignty.
Uncovering True(r) Land Stories: Land History as a Step Towards Repair
Land holds our stories. In this presentation Jessica Intermill, a treaty rights & tribal law attorney and land history consultant, digs into the layers of story that can be held within a single parcel of land.
Using one specific piece of property to demonstrate the multiple layers of story within a place, we investigate a parcel of land owned by one of our Focus Communities, the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls in Minnesota. We explore stories of that land and how it came to be “owned” by the U.S. Government and settlers, and delve into how this research process can be a step towards repairing generational wounds.
TALK: INDIGENOUS STEWARDSHIP AND THE CONSERVATION MOVEMENT
First Light co-founder Peter Forbes tells the story of the collaboration of conservation organizations and Wabanaki communities who seek to expand Indigenous stewardship of land in Maine and surrounding areas.
Black Food Sovereignty and the Holistic Practice of Land Justice
Dr. Shakara Tyler of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network and Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund delves into land justice as a holistic practice that gets at the core of social injustice from an ecological and spiritual lens.
Book talk:
Healing Grounds— Connecting Regeneration, Farming, and Reparations
Liz Carlisle, author of Healing Grounds, presents the stories of four Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian American regenerative farmers who are reviving their ancestors’ methods of growing food—restoring native prairies, nurturing beneficial fungi, and enriching soil health.
case study & Dialogue I: The Dakota Land Recovery Project
Makoce Ikikcupi, a project healing both land and people, purchased their first ten acres due in large part to the efforts of settler John Stoesz, a Mennonite who donated the proceeds of the sale of his family’s land. Hear Dakota director Waziyatawin and Stoesz discuss the meaningful possibilities that concrete acts of reparations offer.
Download the Imagination Briefs.
The Imagining Land Justice briefs are a great “starter pack” for land justice work. They will help you engender a broad understanding of the possibilities and complexities involved in land transitions. Download, read, and share!