Thank You!
Thank You for Joining Us at the 19th Annual D-Town® Harvest Festival
With full hearts, we thank you for showing up, sharing your energy, and making this year’s Harvest Festival a powerful celebration of resilience, justice, and community. Together, under the theme Cultivating Resilience: Rooted in Justice, Growing Our Future, we honored the foundational guiding wisdom of Mama Hanifa Adjuman while continuing our shared journey toward Black food sovereignty, environmental justice, and collective empowerment.
Your presence filled D-Town Farm with music, nourishment, and connection. Each conversation, smile, and moment of learning reminded us of the strength we hold when we gather as a community.
We look forward to growing with you in the seasons ahead.
—Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network
Rooted in Justice, Growing Our Future,
Honoring Mama Hanifa Adjuman's Foundational Guiding Wisdom
CULTIVATING RESILIENCE
Join us on Saturday, September 20, and Sunday, September 21, 2025, from
11:00 AM to 6:00 PM each day, during the fall equinox, for a jam-packed weekend of fun and learning activities for all ages. This is more than a festival; it's a movement of workshops, hands-on activities, music, and vibes that reflect the soul of sustainable food systems and community power.
PROGRAMMING
ROOTED IN COLOR
OPENING CEREMONY (Baba Kefentse Chike - ADACI)
Tours of D-Town Farm History Tour by Urban Forestry School
Local farm stand featuring produce from D-Town Farm and other local Black Farms
Musical Performances
Hands On Workshops
Discover the rich tapestry of plant-based dyeing with our hands-on Diasporic Plant Dye Workshop. Explore the ancient art of dyeing with indigo, a natural blue pigment renowned for its depth and durability. Combine this with the vibrant hues of marigold, a versatile plant that offers a range of yellow and orange tones. Learn traditional techniques and experiment with modern approaches as you create unique, sustainable textiles.
Baba Kefentse, cofounder of the African Diaspora Ancestor Commemoration Institute-Detroit will open the 19th Annual D-Town® Harvest Festival with libations.
Composting workshop by Food Plus
Black Food Sovereignty Art Presentation for teens provided by Shayla Gardner
Recognition of Solar Training Academy Students
African Drum & Dance workshops & performances provided by Nano Djapo
Herb Walk
Acudetox Treatments
Massage Therapy
Chair Yoga facilitated by Sunflo by Imari
Sound Healing and Tarot
Sound Bath
Partnering with Alkebu-Lan Village, this unique space will
feature the ADS Collective (acu-detox specialists continuing the work of Dr. Mutulu Shakur and the Young Lords) and Deep Breaths and Heal (offering yoga, meditation, and sound healing)
JOIN THE MASQUERADE
SATURDAY HEADLINER
The House of Bastet LLC presents an enchanting drum and dance performance titled
"Wild Spirit Sorsornet" in praise of mothers. This captivating display draws deep inspiration from the traditions of the Baga people of Boke, West Africa, particularly the revered Sorsornet mask.
They encourage participants to create their own masks and join the celebration!
We are partnered with The Joy Project which offers a robust schedule of activities.
THE JOY PROJECT
Ancestral Foodways Learnshops
Whole Lamb Roast
Library & Seed Share
Sweet Potatoes and Open Fire Cauldron Demonstration
History of BBQ
Workshops that include storytelling using fresh produce provided by The Joy Project
Seed Saving and Swapping
Threshing seeds to take home by Farmer ZO
WATOTO VILLAGE
CHILDREN'S AREA
Saturday and Sunday
Watoto Village will have hands-on nature-based activities for children provided by Mama Hanifa Adjuman, Educational Director for DBCFSN
Mask Making Learn-shop
A Children’s Tour of D-Town Farm provided by Urban Forest School
Face Painting
Hands On Activities
DETROIT EQUESTRIAN PLAY THERAPY
We are honored to partner with the Detroit Equestrian Play Therapy.
Children will have the opportunity to ride and care for beautiful ponies.
AISHA ELLIS ENSEMBLE
SUNDAY HEADLINER
Award winning Aisha Ellis, Detroit-born percussionist, drummer, and bandleader, brings nearly four decades of rhythmic brilliance to the D-Town® Harvest Festival stage. Immersed in music since childhood, she transformed everyday sounds and the influence of legendary artists into a lifelong passion. From middle school jazz bands to touring internationally with Mahogany Jones and Les Nubians, Ellis has carved her path as a pioneering Black woman in music. 2024 Kresge Art Fellow recipient, she’s known for her work with Black Women Rock and Mollywop, and for her debut EP Luck or Favor. With soulful resilience and percussive power, Ellis continues to create transformative musical experiences that move audiences worldwide.
DETROIT BLACK FARMER LAND FUND
AWARDS CEREMONY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 AT 2:00 PM
The Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund will host an award ceremony at this year’s Harvest Festival, while also giving its farmers the opportunity to sell fresh produce alongside D-Town Farm at the festival’s farmer’s market.
Formed in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Fund began as a grassroots coalition of the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, and Keep Growing Detroit. What started as a campaign to raise just $5,000 to help protect Black farmers at risk of losing their land went viral, sparking a powerful fundraising movement.
Since then, the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund has continued to grow, channeling community support into a movement for intergenerational Black farmland ownership and security in Detroit. Today, it stands as a model of collective action, sustaining #DetroitBlackFarmers and building pathways toward land justice and food sovereignty for generations to come.
DETROIT IS DIFFERENT
MEDIA STORYTELLING STATION AND PHOTO BOOTH PROVIDED
BY DETROIT IS DIFFERENT
The award winning online news magazine and culture defining podcast, Detroit Is Different, will interview participants and document our harvest festival.
Detroit is Different’s Mission is to provide the community with an opportunity to share thoughts, emotions, and information utilizing media tools we have access to. Our goal is to amplify the dynamic culture of our community through media. These collective voices strengthen our social capital to teach, convene, invest, and find love amongst one another.
We’re gearing up for a milestone year—2026 marks the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network’s 20th anniversary of advancing food sovereignty, environmental justice, and Black liberation in Detroit and beyond.
Your support today will help ensure our vital work continues for the next 20 years and beyond. Invest in our future—DONATE now and join the movement shaping a just, sustainable food system.
2026
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
BUILD BLACK FOOD SOVEREIGNTY WITH US
The Harvest Festival isn't just an event it's a movement. Come learn, connect, and celebrate the power of community to create a just and sustainable food system.
Get the full scoop, donate, and volunteer!
Media or Sponsorship inquiries?
Get in touch with Mama Piper Carter at pcarter@dbcfsn.org
Vendor opportunities are available. Contact Mama Nepthys at jkseevers51@gmail.com