BIPOC Voices Leading the Way
Rooted in community and care for the land, our beekeeping practice is about more than honey; it’s about connection, sustainable stewardship, and the exploration of expansive knowledge. As guests on this land, caring for the non-native Honey Bee, we believe it is our responsibility to be in a healing relationship with all native and non-native pollinators, plants, and people. As part of that responsibility, we are committed to using our platform to uplift and support BIPOC Beekeepers and Environmental Leaders whose work we admire, value, and learn from. We want to encourage those who are on this journey with us at Humboldt Honey to discover and invest in their businesses, stories, and impact. Their work is incredible, and we hope you find ways to get connected. We believe that to create a resilient future for beekeeping and our planet, this work needs to include all of us.
Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm and training center dedicated to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.
With deep reverence for the Earth and wisdom of our ancestors, we practice regenerative agroecology, raise and distribute life-giving food, equip the rising generation of BIPOC farmer, and mobilize communities to work toward food and land sovereignty.
They are doing incredible work inspiring so many to decolonize and invite folks into relationship and language with the land and one another. We really hope you will check them out and support their work.
Through collaborative partnerships with schools, community organizations, municipalities, and local businesses, Detroit Hives creates meaningful social, environmental, and financial impact. Our work is guided by three core educational initiatives—Bee The Change, Bee In Motion, and Bee Inspired—which engage youth and residents in hands-on learning centered on sustainability, health and mobility, and creative expression. Together, these programs empower the next generation of leaders to reimagine their neighborhoods, care for the natural world, and build a more equitable and resilient future.
We have much to learn around non colonized beekeeping practices. This is a wonderful resource for expanding our knowledge, practice, and language around this sacred act of Beekeeping. When learning from other cultures it is important to approach to remember we are guests and students in learning and should always do so with respect to those who go before us.
Best Bees BIPOC Resource Page
The Best Bees Company is making a commitment to further the discussion of the importance of increasing accessibility in beekeeping. Their team gathered a list of educational articles, videos, songs, and more to shed light on the incredible work of people of color in beekeeping, agriculture, and environmentalism. Humboldt Honey MPLS loves this collection and deeply encourage to check out all the incredible people and organizations who are on this list.
Beyond Bees - Caring for the land
Beyond being beekeepers, we are also fierce protectors of the land and want to acknowledge the significant contribution of BIPOC Environmental Leaders in the work for justice, protections, and reciprocity. While there are many national and international artists, advocates, writers, and leaders, we would like to take note of those doing the work in our community of Minneapolis.
We want to thank Roxanne O’Brien, Shalini Gupta, Community Members for Environmental Justice, Winona LaDuke with White Earth Land Recovery Project, Carolina Ortiz with COPAL MN, Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos with Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, and Kristel Porter with MN Renewable Now.
We know there are more folks, more work, more initiatives that are privately and publicly being worked on. We are in your debt for all that you give, model, and sacrifice for the liberation of all us, and for caring our precious earth.