Violet’s (she/they/we) journey began with her Seedo (grandfather), who was a Fellahi peasant farmer in his village of Jifna in the Holy Land of Philistine. While Violet has never touched her motherland, or seen the olive orchards her Seedo tended to, the desire to serve the land had been sown into her spirit long before her arrival to this planet.
Violet started serving the land in 2015 through her school’s garden club and role in student government where she focused on environmental sustainability. Since then, serving the land both directly and indirectly has been central to her life. She worked and learned as a farm intern at the Gill Tract Community Farm on Chochenyo territory, also known as Berkeley, CA, where she tended the land, as well as time she spent with the California Climate Action Corps, where she served as an educator to underserved youth focusing on the importance of urban tree canopies. There is immense value in both getting our hands dirty in working with mother Earth, as well as being the voice for her in spaces where she does not have one or is not considered.
Violet is incredibly excited and grateful to be in this dynamic role at Big Island Farms. Through her presence at the Big Island Tea Garden and Shop she is able to relay the shared values of ancestral farming and healing onto those who pass through. In addition to this, she contributes to our mission of supporting future generations through aiding in the involvement of more keiki and youth on the farm.
