Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is Liberation Ecosystem specifically for BIPOC Vermonters?
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Vermonters continue to be under-represented, under-resourced, and under-acknowledged in land, environment, agriculture, and food spaces due to a long history of racism, exclusion, and oppression. Liberation Ecosystem exists to support BIPOC in these white-dominated spaces by amplifying our voices/experiences and advocating for racial equity.
While our work is centered on the BIPOC community, we believe that advancing racial equity in land, environment, agriculture, and foodways ultimately benefits all Vermonters.
I am a line cook, arborist, avid hiker, nutritionist, backyard gardener, undergraduate dairy researcher, stay a home parent, etc. Can I join?
Absolutely! Whether land, environment, agriculture, and food are relevant to your work or your hobbies, both, or anywhere in between, this is a network for you!
Why should I join Liberation Ecosystem?
Liberation Ecosystem provides tons of benefits listed below for FREE to all members:
- Monthly Community Dinners (virtual and in-person)
- Members Only Listserv for sharing job postings, asking questions, making requests, sharing events, etc.
- Facilitated conversation around member requested topics
- BIPOC Farmers and Growers - Receive direct assistance from our other BIPOC "farm steaders", including a LE staff person dedicated to helping BIPOC farmers and homesteaders navigate bureaucracy and access resources. Connect with our community to learn who’s growing what, get and share advice, trade, barter, request or giveaway seeds, plants, tools, labor, etc!
- Workshops featuring BIPOC experts on a variety of topics, including opportunties for YOU to lead workshops and gatherings
What is the membership time commitment?
As a member, you can define however much time you would like to commit to participating in the Collective. Maybe you are having a really busy month/year. If limiting your engagement to receiving network emails feels most accessible, that’s fine. Maybe you want to participate in every Collective event offering and opportunities shared by fellow members. That’s great! The goal of the Collective is to get out of it what you want and need.
How did Liberation Ecosystem begin?
Liberation Ecosystem started as an idea that came to Olivia Peña in 2020 to combat the social isolation during the pandemic and create space for Black, Indigenous, People of Color to be in community with each other. Since then, the Collective has grown to a network of over 400 members across the state!
How can I share a job/paid opportunity with Liberation Ecosystem?
In the society that we seek to build, conversations around equitable compensation and organizational racial equity work are transparent and requisite. In this spirit, we ask that you send an email to hello@liberationecosystem.org with the job announcement and responses to the following questions. Your answers will be shared verbatim with the listserv accompanying any job or internship information you provide. We reserve the right to use our discretion to not share a post; nor is sharing your post necessarily an endorsement of your organization. Please note that we do not post unpaid internships. Please respond to the following questions:
- What is the numerical salary range for this position?
- Please share about your business or organization’s current practices or initiatives to promote racial equity at work.
- Please provide specific examples of your business or organization's current practices or initiatives to promote racial equity. How are you educating yourselves about anti-racism? How are you centering racial justice?
- What processes or policies have you put into place to protect and support your BIPOC staff, leaders, and volunteers?
- Please share the percentage or proportion of BIPOC within the business or organization. Thank you for taking the responsibility to explore appropriate ways to obtain this information if it’s not readily available.
- On staff and
- In leadership roles
- Please include the opportunity type in the subject. For example: (Job Posting) Executive Director at XYZ Org
Why can’t I advertise unpaid labor (internships, unpaid speaking engagements, volunteer work) through Liberation Ecosystem’s listserv?
We envision a future where BIPOC are compensated fairly for their contributions within land, environment, agriculture and foodways. We believe asking BIPOC to engage in unpaid labor is counterproductive to our mission and would only serve to perpetuate the existing inequities around compensation for BIPOC who choose to work in land, environment, agriculture and foodways.
Can Liberation Ecosystem share information about my event with its members?
As a Network committed to uplifting BIPOC voices and experiences, Liberation Ecosystem welcomes and encourages members to share information about BIPOC-led/facilitated/centered events that may be of interest via Liberation Ecosystem’s member listserv. When sharing event information, please be sure to include if there is a cost associated and if so, please let members know if scholarships or fee waivers are available.
If your event is not BIPOC-led/facilitated/centered, lacks any racial equity component to it; or is not related to land, environment, agriculture and food we ask that you make use of another platform so that we may keep our content 100% relevant and true to our mission.
How can I partner with Liberation Ecosystem?
Please read our Partnership Guidelines here.
Who decides or sets the direction for Liberation Ecosystem’s work?
Liberation Ecosystem’s work is 100% BIPOC Vermonter led. Our board of Directors help guide the organization and center the Mission, Vision, and Values of Liberation Ecosystem in strategic decision making. Staff carry out day-to-day operations, including internal community building and external advocacy. Staff and board are all members of our community, and many ideas for events, programming, partnerships, etc are sourced by our members. We also provide support and resources for members to lead their own programming.
Does Liberation Ecosystem have nonprofit status?
Yes, Liberation Ecosystem has nonprofit status.
How can I make a donation to Liberation Ecosystem?
Thank you for supporting our work! To make a donation, please mail a check payable to Liberation Ecosystem. You can also donate here.