2023 has been off to a productive start! The team picked right back up where we left off at the end of 2022 -- with production flows in the Work-Shop building furniture and structures for The Commonwealth and beyond. At the end of January, we journeyed to Charleston, South Carolina where we held carpentry workshops with Values-Based Partners and youth. In February, we returned to the Work-Shop where we were joined by team members from PAC Leaders for design-build pilot program during which we built SWF furniture and hand-raised a structure that will make its way to Values-Based Partners in Detroit. February also featured SWF’s 3rd Annual Sankofa Living Memories Series and re-connections with students from Beasley Academic Center through our Seeding the Future program, during which they created Sankofa Collages honoring African Americans who have deeply impacted our lives.
With March in full swing, we are preparing for the coming farming season and already seeing an influx in visitors at The Commonwealth. This month, we welcomed high school students from Al Raby High School and hosted our first Spring Break Immersion of the season, welcoming a group from Aurora University.
As we begin to ramp up for the spring, we invite you to take a moment to read about the happenings at The Commonwealth!
2023 SANKOFA LIVING MEMORIES SERIES In celebration of Black History Month, SWF hosted its 3rd Annual Sankofa Living Memories Series. The series embraces the practice of Sankofa, reaching back to the knowledge and wisdom of the past and bringing it into the present to build a more radical and imaginative future. This year's theme was Reverence . Read more.
CONVERGENCE IN CHARLESTON From January 29 - February 1, members of the SWF team visited Charleston, South Carolina for a two-day convergence with our Values-Based Partners, The Green Heart Project. The team connected with staff members, educators, students, and community members during a hands-on carpentry workshop, a tour of the city, and listening sessions about the history of Green Heart Project. Read more.
AURORA UNIVERSITY IMMERSION AT THE COMMONWEALTH From Monday, March 6 - Thursday March 9, SWF welcomed students and faculty from Aurora University for a Spring Break immersion at The Commonwealth. The immersion was initiated by the Chair of Aurora University’s Parks and Recreational Leadership program, Professor Christopher Wells, who visited a Sweet Water Foundation farmers’ market in 2022. Read more.
EVENTS
What's Happening at The Commonwealth?
COMING IN
EARLY
MAY
Wellness Wednesday
Beginning in early May, we will restart our Wellness Wednesday events. Wellness Wednesday is a day dedicated to promoting wellness in the community through the nourishment of connections to one another and the land. Join us in farm and garden work during our morning routines as we cultivate The Commonwealth.
At The Commonwealth, we eat with the seasons -- using produce we have available and produce we have preserved from the summer. During the winter, when we have less abundance on the farm, we prepare meals like soups and stews that stretch our produce and we supplement with beans and rice to help sustain our bodies during the cold months.
On February 17, 2023, we hosted the second event of our Sankofa Living Memories Series titled [Re]Generation. During the event, two of our core team members, Phoenix and Alysse, prepared a hearty soup with produce harvested from our hoop houses that morning. We invite you to try this hearty soup!
Ingredients
20 leaves of assorted greens (mustards, kale, turnips, collards)
