Hosted by Sommer Sibilly-Brown, founder of the Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition, “Of Seed and Soil” seeks to digitize the often untold and uncelebrated stories of farmers, fishers, producers, and food advocates from across the Virgin Islands and wider Caribbean. Through heartfelt interviews and candid conversations, the series invites listeners to reflect on the deep relationship between food, memory, identity, and resistance.
Episode 14 (Season Finale): “Across Waters, One Farming Community”
Send us Fan Mail In the Season Finale of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly-Brown sits down with Eira Rodríguez, a farmer and advocate from Vieques, Puerto Rico, who works with the collective La Colmena Cimarrona. Eira and her community have been important partners with Virgin Islands Good Food, working together to learn more about each other’s communities and mobilize brigading efforts and mutual aid to support farmers across the Caribb...
28 May 2026
Episode 13: “Youth Growing the Future”
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 13 Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly-Brown sits down with Zavira Wilson, a student at the University of the Virgin Islands and an emerging voice advocating for youth engagement in agriculture and community leadership. Zavira represents a new generation of Virgin Islanders who understand that food security, community safety, and youth empowerment are deeply connected. Through her work and studies, she is help...
21 May 2026
Episode 12: “It Takes a Village to Feed a Village”
Send us Fan Mail In this special installment of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown sits down with Tarik and Tamara McMillan, co‑founders of Greater Changes LLC, a liberation‑focused behavioral health and wellness agency rooted in Caribbean culture and community empowerment. Together, they explore the holistic power of building community around farmers—not only through physical support but through emotional, cultural, and men...
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 11 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we speak with daughter of the soil, Emmanuella Perez-Cassius, a generational landowner, consumer advocate in St. Croix, who shares a deeply personal and practical conversation about what it means to inherit land and truly honor it. With land passed down from her grandfather and father, Emmanuella offers a candid look at the responsibility that comes with ancestral land ownership. She spea...
7 May 2026
Episode 10: Cultivating the Future of Agriculture in the Virgin Islands
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we speak with Louis Emanuel Petersen, Jr., Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, about the bold path forward for food and farming across the territory. A lifelong advocate for agriculture with ancestral roots in farming, Commissioner Petersen shares how his upbringing, education, and return home to the Virgin Islands shaped his vision for a thriving, self-sustain...
30 Apr 2026
Episode 9: Collaboration Is the Soil
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 9 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we hear from Dara Monifa Cooper, a long-time food system advocate, connector, and visionary based in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. For decades, Dara has been a quiet force in the movement—uplifting farmers, sharing critical information, building bridges, and pushing for systems-level solutions that reflect the power and potential of Virgin Islanders. Whether through grassroots work or o...
23 Apr 2026
Episode 8 | Land Is Memory, Land Is Power
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 8 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we are joined by Tarik McMillan—a son of St. Croix, a licensed trauma clinician, and a powerful voice in the movement for land stewardship and justice in the Virgin Islands. Tarik brings a deeply rooted perspective as both a mental health professional and an advocate for land ownership, cultural preservation, and resistance to gentrification. With a background in trauma-based counsel...
9 Apr 2026
Episode 7: A Chef’s Perspective on Food, Culture, and Community
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 7 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we sit down with Chef Ralph Motta—a St. Croix native whose deep love for the Virgin Islands and fresh, local ingredients has shaped his culinary journey. From childhood curiosity to professional kitchen, Chef Motta shares how growing up in the Virgin Islands informed not only his palate but also his purpose as a chef. In this thoughtful conversation, he talks about the cultural importance ...
2 Apr 2026
Episode 6: “Mama Benita: Roots, Rights, and Revolution”
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 6 of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, we’re honored to spotlight one of the enduring pillars of food justice and cultural stewardship in the Virgin Islands: Mama Benita Martin of We Grow Food, Inc. Born in Detroit and rooted in Chicago before finding home in the hills of Bordeaux, St. Thomas, Mama Benita has spent decades cultivating more than crops—she’s cultivated community, culture, and consciousness. In this episode, Mama ...
28 Mar 2026
Episode 5: “A Family That Farms Together”
Send us Fan Mail In this heartwarming episode of “Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom”, we sit down with the owners of Mystical Farms VI in St. Croix, Randall and Lindsey Simmonds, who have spent over two decades growing food, nurturing land, and raising a family committed to self-sufficiency and community wellness. What started in 2003 with one crop has grown into a multi-generational way of life—blending homeschooling, a landscaping business, and resilient...
21 Mar 2026
Episode 4: Land, Legacy, Liberation
Send us Fan Mail In this deeply insightful episode of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown sits down with Dr. Hadiya Sewer, philosopher, environmental justice advocate, and Co‑Founder & President of St. JanCo: the St. John Heritage Collective. Together, they explore the vital intersections of land rights, food sovereignty, and environmental justice on the island of St. John and throughout the Virgin Islands. They also discuss how...
14 Mar 2026
Episode 3: Que Sera Roots
Send us Fan Mail On this episode of “Of Seed & Soil”, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown speaks with Shelli Brin, founder of Que Sera Farms, a woman-owned regenerative farm based in St. Thomas with extended projects across St. Croix and Tortola. Shelli brings a lifetime of farming experience: born into a family of agriculturists, fishermen, and community leaders, she has dedicated herself to nurturing agroforestry, beekeeping, microgreens, and farm-based education. Together, they explore:...
5 Mar 2026
Episode 2: What the Land Remembers
Send us Fan Mail In this powerful second episode of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly-Brown sits down with Luca Gasperi of ARTfarm—one of St. Croix’s most beloved and resilient farms. A second-generation farmer, Luca shares the story of his family’s legacy on the south shore of St. Croix, where they have been cultivating land since the 1960s. Together with his partner Christina Frederick-Gasperi, Luca co-founded ARTfarm, known for its ...
25 Feb 2026
Episode 1: “Towards the Revolution”
Send us Fan Mail Emancipation Day in the Virgin Islands Welcome to the very first episode Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom—a podcast amplifying the lived experiences, wisdom, and resistance of farmers in the Virgin Islands. In this special Emancipation Day premiere, host Sommer Sibilly-Brown, Executive Director of Virgin Islands Good Food, sits in the guest seat, interviewed by longtime friend and development strategist Omi Pennick, one of the found...
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