Check Out Benu Amun-Ra’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benu Amun-Ra. 

Hi Benu, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My story began in 2015 working as a caregiver and CNA in the home health care industry for several years. I was also caring for my elderly mother and my only son, both of whom live with either physical or developmental disabilities. I came to realize that there was a dire need for equitable spaces for those living with both visible and invisible disabilities, but especially for minorities or individuals in Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities. There were no therapeutic ‘safe’ spaces to heal generational trauma experienced by the oppressive systems they existed in. I really wanted to create a healing sanctuary for both BIPOC and LGBTQ, but the only way I knew how to do that was by applying my life’s traumas as a person of color living the ‘American’ experience into a blueprint for my project. I’ve been an entrepreneur for the last two decades but had no idea on how to build an off-grid therapy farm and non-traditional school or retreat camp, so I went back to school. I attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado in 2019 to pursue a degree in resilient leadership with a focus on sustainable systems because I knew returning to Indigenous ways of thinking and being in healthy reciprocal relationship with our planet was the right path towards healing. My family had a small acre in Fort Collins near Horsetooth reservoir and even though we were literally across from the water, we had no access to the main water line and had to pay for that water access. That would cost us more than what the land was actually valued at and with the increasing taxes due to property values going up caused by gentrification, our family couldn’t keep up. Once the pandemic hit in 2020 and after a failed GoFundMe campaign, we were left with little choice but to sell it, largely in part because most BIPOC families do not plan for the future in the forms of savings, retirement or estate planning, and the like. We’re just too poor or other priorities supersede them. The pandemic really forced us to deal with that reality. For me, losing the land was devastating, as I had hoped it would be turned into a family legacy that would help provide a brave space for the community I wanted to serve. But it triggered me deeply when I looked back through my family history of being the daughter of an immigrant mother and a father from the Mississippi South, who were both products of generational slavery. It was hard but I knew I had to start over like so many millions of Americans who had lost their jobs, homes, livelihood, etc. It was back to the drawing board. I became an active local food justice and social justice advocate attending webinars, joining councils and committees that addressed the issues that I felt passionate about. Groups like the Chinook Fund Giving Project, the Family Voice Council with the Colorado Department of Human Services, and the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council. I joined every organization I could that gave me a voice! I wanted to see in what capacity could I contribute the most by helping the causes that meant the most to me. The more networking, I did, the more I found like-minded people to help me manifest my dream of creating my farm and school concept. Alas, I began to get exhausted being in white spaces that couldn’t see the harm they were causing or had straight out denied that they weren’t racist even though their actions spoke otherwise. So, I began to remove myself out of those spaces and started aligning myself with those who understood the challenges and struggles that BIPOC go through when we are in these dominant spaces that cater to patriarchal narratives that are exclusive. It made me realize even more just how much my project was necessary. I connected with some local BIPOC farmers, Indigenous non-profits, community leaders, LGBTQ friends, and BIPOC youth who supported my vision for the space I wanted to create. I attended an educational fellowship that helped me envision how I wanted to create my school. My mission was clear…A non-traditional hybrid S.T.E.A.D. (Science, Tech, Environment, Agriculture, Design) school and horticulture therapy farm that centers, engages, and empowers BIPOC students and their families intergenerationally. We would provide a path for students to compost and transform the broken oppressive systems that directly impact them. By honoring ancestral knowledge and traditions, we can steward reciprocal relationships and grow strong, compassionate, resourceful leaders that are proactive agents of change. That is why it’s called S.A.C.R.Ed Eco-center. We are seeding ancestral community relationships and educating both young and old on the importance of returning to the ancient traditions of ‘being’ but in innovative and empowering ways. I’m excited to start this journey and know it will be long and arduous. It takes 3-5 years to build a school and I am hopeful it will come to fruition. The fundraising has just begun, and we are building a seed initiative as our first phase. Being a seed saver teacher and knowing that 94% of our food diversity is lost, the seed business will help provide a foundation for the school and our community. Our BIPOC communities face food insecurity three times more than the average American and planting seeds can provide a path towards food sovereignty. It’s the first lesson we learn when we commune with our Mother Earth. Planting a seed does more for any one person than anything in this world. It teaches you not only to care for something else but shows us how we are all interconnected. We are all seeds…And I hope to grow with kindness, compassion, and happiness wherever I plant roots.

We all face challenges but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road…Finding the financial support in trying to save my family’s land was exceedingly difficult. Without a job or steady income, I wasn’t eligible for loans. Land in Colorado is awfully expensive, at least in the areas where we live and continues to be a goal that is out of reach for too many BIPOC. The agricultural landscape in Colorado is more than 90% white space. Land access for BIPOC is near impossible. I lost my job and my business due to the pandemic because both required person-to-person contact. My school loans and unemployment helped keep me sustainable. But again, with student loans on my credit, I couldn’t buy a house or a car for that matter. Mental wellness was another challenge, as exhaustion, stress, depression, and anxiety were constant companions, but I was grateful that my school offered student counseling which provided solace for me weekly. The constant violence against BIPOC and LGBTQ were very triggering for me as I am at the intersection of all of that being, Bisexual, Asian and Black, so all of my communities were experiencing unbelievable amounts of attacks and being targeted if not killed for being different. Being a single mother and caregiver to family members with serious illnesses and especially having both live with physical and developmental disabilities has really taken its toll too. We are all immuno-compromised which makes it even more challenging to navigate during a pandemic.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am a Ph.D. student attending the California Institute of Integral Studies enrolled in the Transformative Studies program. Through the program I am creating a narrative inquiry on how returning to Indigenous practices can transform healing generational trauma. It will be a three-part documentary series focusing on ceremonies and rituals, reconnecting to Mother Earth, and food sovereignty. It will specifically center on the Black and Indigenous voices from around the world and how living in balance with nature will be the key to our healing if not, survival. Through seeding ancestral community relationships, we can bring more awareness to our traumatized members in the BIPOC, LGBTQ, and disabilities populations.
I recently registered my seed company called Sacred Ancestors Seed Initiative which will be a platform to bring awareness to the dire need for seed diversity. I graduated last year from the Seed Saver Teacher’s program at the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance with hopes of championing organic heirloom seeds by building a seed bank, seed library, seed business, and exchange programs along with adult education workshops. I believe we are all seeds. In fact, I hope to grow this platform into a sustainable and viable eco-center, school, and horticulture therapy farm that will continue to pass on the knowledge of our Elders via guided mentorship. I am impassioned about providing a ‘brave’ space for marginalized communities and the fertile environment needed to grow strong, effective, resilient leaders and social activists.
I am most proud of my heritage and my cultural background. Which ironically, does set me apart from others. Being a woman of color, a single mother, a caregiver, and additionally pursuing a higher level of education speaks to the tremendous efforts that many like myself find themselves in when existing in oppressive systems that were built to exclude and segregate us. I am specially proud of the many facets of my life and the history of my ancestors manifesting in its numerous forms during these unprecedented times.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice in finding a mentor or when generally networking, is to find your passion and let if fire your motivations and actions. What drives you? Start finding those individuals or organizations that are in alignment to your values, ideals, and thinking. In other words, find those like-minded people who can help you manifest your dreams. Stop exhausting yourselves in spaces that do not support you, your dreams, or your goals. It will save you energy and disappointment in the end instead of wasting the precious time we have left.
What has worked well for me is listening. It’s a skill most people undervalue or discount. We ‘hear’ others, but we don’t really listen. We are taught to cut each other off or expect to be heard over others. When we engage and are present with one another we honor and respect each other’s presence and value our time with each other. I try to be present at all times. Meditation helps me with that and encourages me to slow down and be present with whoever I am with. Mother Nature teaches this to us when we farm or grow plants. Patience. Everything in its divine time. That’s why we must value the time we have with each other, making sure we are mindful of being reciprocal and kind in taking care of one another. It gives validation to our humanity and our existence.

Contact Info:

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Image Credits
Benu Amun-Ra