What our program participants are saying

I recently participated in The Land Is Not Our Own, and it has been a real revelation to me. The first step is awareness and knowledge, followed by action, and this program can be an important catalyst in one’s journey. I also received an unexpected gift of increased reverence for the wonders of creation that are all around us, an appreciation that, in the long-term, may hold the key to our very survival as a species.

Ron Schaefer • Program Participant

Transformative is the single word that comes to mind. This program challenges us to deal with (and not just examine) the reality of racial injustice on individuals, families, and communities as well as entire segments of our country. We are blessed by having multi-generational African Americans in our group that put flesh to the words of our texts that detail the impact of historical prejudices. In other words, this is not an academic exercise, this is the reality of life lived under and through the historical abuse of laws, processes, power, and privilege. You must deal with this reality.

John Laliberte • Greenville, SC

I was a little skeptical of this program on my first day of the class; I was the only person of color and less than 50 years old and wondering if the course's material would even be relevant to my experience. I'm glad I stayed because I learned so much and was able to share so much of my experience and my community and the environmental justice work that I do from an urban perspective that opened the minds of all of my classmates. It was an awesome experience that I'd recommend to everyone.

Melissa Barber