Afro-Indigenous Environmental Art Education

Settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and global urbanization compromise urban youth’s access to welcoming urban greenspaces. How can an Afro-Indigenous approach (including a praxis of art making and folklore) to environmental education reengage urban youth? One hundred percent (100%) outdoor nature art programs can reveal urban youth’s desire to connect to the past. From Sankofa to afro-futurism, we study past gems to orient the Afro’s future. This thesis details Afro Agriculture LLC’s Survivalnomics Workshop, which took place in summer 2024. Survivalnomics is an environmental art curriculum that challenged ten Black Atlanta, GA homeschoolers to study folklore, cordage, fiber art, wilderness first aid, cooking, and regenerative agriculture at The Hartnett Farm on top of Bush Mountain in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia. Despite urban renewal and food apartheid, these cultural life skills set a foundation for afro-futuristic resistance and preservation of Black and Indigenous ontologies, encouraging cultural identity, sustainability, and self-determination for young Afros.