ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments
I offer a low bow of gratitude to my mother, Adele Smith-Penniman, for inspiring me to be an agent for social change with her example as a leader in the civil rights movement. I thank my father, Keith Penniman, for instilling in me a love of nature and respect for stillness. Blessings upon the memory of granddaddy Samuel C. Smith and all those in my Haitian lineage who showed the world how to defeat colonial oppression. Deep love to my spouse,Jonah Vitale-Wolff and our children Neshima and Emet Vitale-Penniman. Together we have built a family committed to the love of land and of justice.
