On Indigenous Seedkeeping and Food Sovereignty (In-Person)

• This is an in-person conversation event with audience Q&A. To register for the livestream, CLICK HERE.

Seedkeeper, author, mentor, and founder of Sierra Seeds, Rowen White is a passionate activist for Indigenous seed and food sovereignty. With the increasing industrialization of our food and the erosion of biodiversity within cultural contexts, Rowen works to guide and mentor mindful eaters and food/seed sovereignty leaders in their capacity to lead, vision, and nourish a deep-rooted transformation.

Rowen is a part of a growing movement to reconnect and rematriate seeds and humans back to the local land and believes in the deep healing power of food. When we restore our relationships with our ancestral foods, they help us recalibrate our deep internal knowing of who we are. This can be one of the greatest anecdotes to the diaspora of disconnection that is creating ecological and social chaos in our time.

For Rowen and many others, cultivating a culture of belonging needs to be at the heart of food systems change—inviting a diversity of perspectives and voices, cosmologies and values. Integral to a more just and beautiful food system is the way we rehydrate and integrate our cultural memories and stories, and how we regain a sense of who we are as a multitude of cultures through our foods and seeds.

Join Rowen and CIIS Associate Professor of Anthropology and Social Change Michelle Glowa for an inspiring conversation exploring Indigenous seedkeeping and food sovereignty.

Rowen White is a Seedkeeper/farmer and author from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty. She is the Educational Director and lead mentor of Sierra Seeds, an innovative Indigenous seed bank and land-based educational organization located in Nevada City, CA. Rowen is the Founder of the Indigenous Seedkeepers Network, which is committed to restoring the Indigenous Seed Commons, and currently serves as a Cooperative Seed Hub Coordinator.

Michelle Glowa is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Social Change at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. In her teaching she draws together the learning from land-based and land defense movements that work to cultivate other possible worlds. Michelle approaches her research with over two decades of experience working as a part of the environmental and food justice movements. She received her B.S. in Natural Resource Management and Political Science from Colorado State University and her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from University of California Santa Cruz. Michelle lives in Santa Cruz where she participates in a local herbal mutual aid project, lives on a mommune, and supports local gardens and organizing projects. Her most recent work has been in collaboration with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, conducting research and resisting a proposed sand and gravel mine on their sacred land.

Accessibility Information

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy

Ticket holders will have access to an ad-free replay of the event for one month after the live event, after which unlimited viewing with ads will be available. Portions of the audio will also be released on our podcast. Only registered ticket holders who choose to watch live can participate in the chat and Q&A.

Refund Policy

All tickets and add-ons purchased for this event are nonrefundable.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

California Institute of Integral Studies - Main building, 1453 Mission St., San Francisco, United States