June 2020 Update

This workshop was generated in February 2020. At this time we are unable to significantly alter the content of the course, so we don’t directly address the revolution spurred by the murder of George Floyd and countless others. However, these issues run deep, and this course is informed by the long history of oppression and exclusion of BIPOC, and is especially relevant in this time of worldwide public resistance and awakening.

Course curriculum

  1. 1

    • About

    • Our Story

    • How to Move through this Workshop

    • Class Agreements

    • Resources

    • Video Workshop with Q & A!

    • Thank You! Workshop Summary and Next Steps

    • Feedback Form

Instructor(s)

amanda david & mandana boushee

Amanda is a community herbalist, the mother of three amazing children, and the creator of Rootwork Herbals, The People’s Medicine School and The Bramble Collective. She tends plants and people growing gardens, handcrafting remedies, offering consultations and teaching. Her approach to herbalism is based in the folkways, on building intimate relationships with the plants that grow nearby in order to bring herbal medicine and home healthcare to the people. In doing this, she sees herbalism as a means to support life and thus resist against oppressive systems, which undermine health. Above all, Amanda is a lover of plants and a lover of people and is passionate about bringing them together in a down to earth, joyful and accessible way that promotes personal and planetary healing. Mandana (ماندانا) is an Iranian-American herbalist, writer, gardener, and educator at Wild Gather: Hudson Valley School of Herbal Studies. Mandana currently lives on unceded Haudenosauneega territory also known as the Catskill Mountains, in the same valley she was raised. Her exploration of plant medicine began in her childhood kitchen, where she first encountered the sound of the mortar and pestle finding rhythm, the smell of rue and angelica smoke curling up from the sofreh and the stories of her ancestors carried forward by her mother, Mina. She weaves her Iranian ancestry, culture, and plant tradition into all facets of her work as an herbalist and is dedicated to re-centering the voices, stories, rituals, and histories of the BIPOC community, particularly around health, healing and food.

FAQ

  • Who is this for?

    This workshop is for non-BIPOC herbalists who are wanting to incorporate anti-racist work in their practices. The video is broken up into segments for organizations & conferences, herb schools and educators, clinical & practicing herbalists, apothecaries & herbal businesses, budding herbalists & students, and a segment where we answer previous students’ questions. Much of the information and resources are applicable to non-herbalists such as farmers and healers, but as herbalism is our direct experience, that remains the focus of the webinar.

  • Will there be a future course?

    We hope to make another Woke Without the Work course eventually, but are unable to make plans for that as of now. As we recorded this program in February 2020, we do not address the events that have arisen since the murder of George Floyd. However, the issues at hand run deep, and this course is informed by the long history of oppression and exclusion of BIPOC, and is especially relevant in this time of public upheaval, and will continue to be. Should we create a significant update to the material, you will be notified via email.

  • How long does it take?

    However long you’d like it to! It is entirely self-paced. We share resources that could get you started on a lifetime of reading, and recommend that you take a look at a few before diving into the course. However, there are no requirements, and these tools are for you to use at your discretion. The video is 2 ½ hours, and you’re free to skip around as relevant, take it day-by-day, or sit with the whole thing. And finally, you’ll be provided with steps to take after you’ve watched the course, and hopefully this work will become a life-long practice.

  • Is this course accessible?

    Screen-reading programs will work for the text and PDF portions of the class. At this time we do not have closed-captioning on the video. If this is something you or somebody you know would be interested in, please reach out to [email protected].

  • How does group pricing work?

    If you’d like to take this workshop as a team with an organization, please contact [email protected]

  • Can I add this to a public list of resources?

    Please do! Just send them to this page.

  • Why is the course price $89, in February it was $77?

    We have increased the course price by $12 since it first launched in February. A portion of this increase will go to support BIPOC scholarships for herbalism training and a portion will go towards fair compensation for our new employee!