Sister Imani Olugbala

Jackson, MS

Sister Imani Olugbala comes from a long line of farmers/healers. Her personal journey with growing natural food came out of necessity to feed her family of nine. She applied her knowledge gained from her Mother and uncles to grow food for not her family but other families in her community. Understanding the relationship between the earth and the celestial bodies helped her to have a bountiful garden for many years. Sis. Imani is also a holistic health practitioner who studied under the late Dr. Llaila O. Afrika, specializing in herbal medicine. She has been active in her neighborhood organizations and was also President of Acorn in Mississippi. She is a professional cellist, visual artist African dancer and storyteller. She came to Cooperation Jackson as an Anchor for Freedom Farms Co-op in April of 2019 and was later promoted to Program Coordinator and serves as a member of its Executive Committee. Sis. Imani also represents Cooperation Jackson and Freedom Farms Co-op as members of the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives (MAC), Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC-LAF), Southeastern African American Farmers' Organic Network (SAAFON), National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA), and the Climate Justice Alliance's (CJA) Food Sovereignty Working Group. She is a lover of her community, family and culture, supporting, teaching and inspiring Black youth to grow food, which many times enhances their curiosity and grows an appreciation for nature.