Sacred Journey School of Herbalism is committed to social justice. One of the ways that we practice this is by offering Reparations Scholarships to African American, Indigenous, and Latinx students.
Studying and practicing herbalism with a focus on land and wild plants immediately brings us face-to-face with issues of privilege and the denial of human rights. Access to land whether for wild harvesting or cultivation should be a right and yet it is a privilege often denied to people of color within the structures of the dominant culture and governing bodies, historically as well as today.
African Americans relied on their knowledge and expertise about edible and medicinal plants for survival, yet to this day are still systematically excluded from public and private land access. Indigenous people denied the right to work with their ancestral plants and traditions, went underground with their wisdom and healing practices, and lost access to ancestral plants, communities and land.
The rich tapestry of herbal medicine in North America today was woven from the combined knowledge of the indigenous people of Turtle Island, enslaved Africans and their descendants, immigrants from Europe and Asia, and others. It is important to acknowledge all sources of wisdom as we learn the plant medicines and to act in the spirit of reciprocity and solidarity when adopting these medicines. We build solidarity to dismantle the systems that dehumanize and to create a paradigm shift to a new world of healing and understanding. Herbalism is a lifelong journey of liberation work, a lifetime of learning. We are all unlearning, decolonizing, reclaiming, bringing forth, and birthing.
TIMELINE
Applications for scholarships are open through May for classes beginning in September. Applicants may expect to be notified within a week of receipt of the application. We ask that scholarship recipients register and begin payments for classes by the end of May (or if applying late within 1 week of notification). If you are just finding out about this program after May 31st, please go ahead and apply- we may still have spots available! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP
To apply for a Reparation Scholarship, we ask only that you tell us about yourself and tell us how much of a scholarship you need to be able to take the course you wish to take. These scholarships are not “gifts” — they are reparations, however small, but heartfelt from person to person.