This story originally appeared on The 19th and GBH News Rooted in Boston. On a sunny morning in June, about two dozen people walk the land of Soul Fire Farm in Rensselaer County in Upstate New York, during a tour. They are participants in a week-long immersion program that includes a “hands on the land” portion where they spend a few hours a day planting and harvesting on the several acres of former Mohican land. The rest of their time is dedicated to learning about ancestral connections to farming, especially for Black, Indigenous and people of color. “A lot of us maybe have grandmas, mamas, tatas, abuelas that have these beautiful herbal remedies that they’ve created. And they’re like 90 years old, they look like, you know, 50,” laughs tour guide Hillary Gaeta as she points to lusciously green rows of mint, lemon balm, oregano, and other herbs on the farm. “It’s a way to pass down that knowledge.” Each participant has paid between $0 and $1,200, which covers a week of lodging, meals and programming. I am one of them. I come from a long line of sharecroppers, tenant farmers, herbalists and healers. Many of them are Black women, including my grandmother Cornelia Rodgers, whose garden provided my earliest education in land stewardship. Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York engages Black, Indigenous and other people of color in ancestral farming practices. Courtesy of Soul Fire Farm “A lot of folks don’t realize that Black women grow the majority of the world’s food, when you look at small holder farms especially in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean,” says Leah Penniman, the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm. Penniman, who uses all pronouns, says the space is about more than growing food. It’s about cultivating a healing relationship with the land, especially for those who have been divorced from it over time. “I believe in the healing power and potential of land connection for Black women,” Penniman says. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, women are responsible for half of the world’s food production, and between 60 and 80 percent in developing countries. It is evidence of the historical connection between Black women and land, a bond dating back to pre-colonial West Africa. For groups like Ghana’s Akan people or the Tuareg in Mali and Niger, land was and continues to be passed through maternal lines even as their access rights are debated. Women have long been the backbone of agriculture — growing food, saving seeds, and sustaining entire communities. They have been stewards of the land. Weighed down by negative news? Our smart, bright, weekly newsletter is the uplift you’ve been looking for. [contact-form-7] That lineage includes those who were kidnapped and forced to the United States through enslavement. Realizing their fate, African women had the foresight to tuck seeds of crops like okra, rice and black eyed peas into the braids of their hair in hopes that their foodways would live on. In turn — and by force — their knowledge and expertise laid the foundation for American agriculture. As chattel slavery took hold, the land became a source of pain. Penniman often quotes a conversation with friend and fellow farmer Chris Bolden Newsome, who once said to her “the land was the scene of the crime.” Her response: “But the land was never the criminal.” Now, as the U.S. marks its 250th birthday and another celebration of Juneteenth, Penniman and other farmers of color are setting out to repair a relationship that should have never been broken in the first place. The uprooting  Following the end of slavery in 1865, newly freed Black people were promised the infamous “40 acres and a mule.” It was short-lived. Within months of General William T. Sherman’s issuance of roughly 400,000 acres to formerly enslaved families across the South, President Andrew Johnson returned that land to their former enslavers. Many Black families returned to plantations as sharecroppers and tenant farmers, giving way to a new power dynamic enforced by Jim Crow. Those who managed to acquire property faced legal manipulation that often resulted in the fraudulent seizure of their land, and violence that destabilized Black families, shaking their ability to hold onto their property. “The way in which policies impact Black women … came through how the rest of the Black farm population were discriminated against,” said Savi Horne, the executive director of the Land Loss Prevention Project. The project, which is under the North Carolina Black Lawyers Association, provides legal support to farmers and rural landowners facing economic and other challenges.   “The way in which U.S. farm policy devolved … it would’ve impacted women growers, women farmers because it was always an uphill struggle to get the recognition. And I think that’s to be said as well for white women farmers.” But the share — and loss — of farmland among Black women is disproportionate to the greater population. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census finds that Black women make up less than 1 percent of farmers, and Horne says that since 1910, Black farmers have lost millions of acres. In North Carolina — where Horne does her work, and where I call home — 950,000 acres of farmland were lost between 2002 and 2022. A study found that forced land sales and discriminatory practices, including by the USDA, resulted in a $326 billion loss in land value for Black farmers throughout the 20th century. Horne noted that Indigenous women faced similar losses, given that the Dawes Act of 1887 authorized President Grover Cleveland to break up communally held Indigenous lands which were then forcibly sold off to white farmers. When efforts were made to repair the harm inflicted by those practices — helping farmers access land and other resources — sexism was still at play. “It’s staggering to the imagination that Black women’s representation in agriculture would be so low,” Horne said. “You can only, in my estimation, attribute that to the kind of oppression they may have felt in terms of gender oppression or denial of access or services even though the policies were there, it’s just that gender bias was at work to impact them.” Today, Black women’s access to those resources is slipping further away. Earlier this year, the Trump administration canceled $300 million in USDA grants meant to alleviate land access disparities for underserved farmers amid its efforts to curb diversity, equity and inclusion policies. That funding, Horne said, would have “given Black women support needed to increase their farm ownership.” Seeds of reclamation  Despite the policy hurdles, Black women are still sowing seeds for land and farming projects. Capital remains a barrier to entry, given that startup costs for a land project can run anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars in rural areas to hundreds of thousands in urban ones. Nataka Crayton is an urban agriculture specialist in Boston, where she co-created the Urban Farming Institute and serves on the board for Boston Farms Community Land Trust.  She also assists with farming at Paige Academy, a Black-owned elementary school in Boston. There are benefits, she said, to Black women working on smaller plots of land like gardens, micro farms or urban spaces, both in terms of alleviating costs and better serving their communities. “You’re doing small scale, but your primary focus is educating the community. That could look like a whole new community center with gardens around,” she said. “But if you’re looking to scale up your production so that you can … sell those microgreens or sell those tomatoes or whatever it is that you choose to focus in on, you’re going to need to also think about, well, what does that look like?” For some, that could look like a land trust, which helps underserved farmers by holding land collectively to protect it from being sold off or lost, especially in legal disputes. Crayton says this can be especially helpful for Black women, helping “reduce barriers to land access by providing growing space, technical assistance and small grant opportunities. “Models like this are critical because access to land, resources, and support remain some of the greatest challenges facing emerging Black woman growers,” Crayton said. Wait, you're not a member yet? Join the Reasons to be Cheerful community by supporting our nonprofit publication and giving what you can. Join Cancel anytime Black women do not have to wait for permission to reclaim their rightful place on land. Their foremothers have laid the groundwork to grow and preserve their communities with generational knowledge and wisdom and, in turn, Black women are doing the same. They are tending not just to land, but to the future. My time at Soul Fire Farm affirmed that. Upon returning home, I ran into my neighbor, a girl around six or seven years old, near the garden bed outside our building in Boston. She immediately pointed to the mint regrowing in the summer sun, having survived a snowy winter. “I know how to harvest,” she said as she began to pick some off. It was a reminder that the seeds we lay now are helping grow a generation of stewards who will hopefully never have to question whether the land is where they belong. The post Black Women Farmers Are Reclaiming the Land appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason Bradley DeFord, filed for divorce from his wife, Alisa DeFord, better known as Bunnie XO, in May 2026 after ten years of marriage. TMZ broke the news on June 16, leaving many fans shocked. Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO appeared happy together. Just days after the news broke, Jelly Roll addressed the rumors during a live show in Saratoga Springs, New York. He let fans know that the internet is a liar and that they shouldn’t believe everything they see online. He did, however, confirm his divorce from his wife of a decade. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jelly Roll (@jellyroll615) Jelly Roll Had Nothing But Kind Words for Bunnie XO No matter what happened behind closed doors, Jelly Roll took the high road when it came to speaking publicly about his divorce from Bunnie XO. “This is the only time, and the only city, I’m ever going to speak about this, so break your camera phones out now,” he said. “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends,” Jelly Roll added. “We spoke on the phone earlier today. Nobody cheated on nobody.” He assured fans that he will always have love for his wife. “That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will ever speak about it. Bunnie, I love you, baby. Thank you for those 10 years; they were incredible. Thank you for the next 10 years, and 20 beyond that.” Many fans hope that Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO will set aside their differences and work things out. “It makes me so sad to hear someone say thank you for those 10 years and the next 10 years of friendship. I so badly would want to hear him say in the next 10 years and the 10 after that because I ain’t going nowhere baby; if I were in this situation,” a fan added. This person agreed, writing, “Don’t quit…this is when you put JESUS in the middle of your marriage and work hard and pray even harder!!!!!!!” This story’s featured image is by Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Taco Bell opened its first location in 1962 in Downey, California, and never looked back. It serves billions of tacos each year, with fans consistently returning for their favorite menu items. Of course, we all know that fast-food restaurants are notorious for removing menu items that fans seem to love. Taco Bell is no exception, and fans have steadily begged for the return of the Enchirito. The burrito and enchilada combo was on the menu for decades but disappeared in the early 1990s. It’s made a comeback only a handful of times, and if you want to try it, now is the time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taco Bell (@tacobell) The Enchirito is Back at Taco Bell for a Limited Time Taco Bell shared the news of the Enchirito’s return on social media. It hit menus on June 18, 2026, and will only be available until July 22. The second that fans read the news, they started planning their next Taco Bell run. This person demanded that Taco Bell make the enchirito a permanent offering. “LEAVE IT ON THE MENU IT SELLS STOP TAKING IT OFF THE MENU,” they wrote. “Just stop taking it away! At this point, you are making less money. It’s a staple and you know it!” A fan agreed. Of course, fans know just what to wash the Enchirito down with. This person suggested another Taco Bell staple, “And pairing it with an ice cold Baja Blast!” Sadly, not every Taco Bell seems to have the Enchirito back, and some people are not happy. “Hey, @tacobell some of us in Louisville were looking forward to the enchirito coming back, but we can’t order it because we have chili cheese test items!” A fan suggested. Hurry in. The Enchirito will not last. This story’s featured image is by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

When wildlife photographer and director of conservation and environmental education for La Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel, Rafael Chacón, heard about a small, disoriented fox on the side of a highway in Cozumel, he knew he had to go. According to Smithsonian Magazine, he grabbed his camera and snapped the first photos of the rare and elusive Cozumel dwarf fox in 20 years. “Seeing this fox standing there, calm and beautiful in its natural habitat, felt almost unreal,” Rafael told Smithsonian magazine. “The moment … was truly unforgettable.” Dwarf fox feared extinct for over 20 years photographed for the first timeThe elusive Cozumel dwarf fox was photographed on Mexico's Cozumel Island in 2023 after not being seen since 2001. The first ever image of the rare animal was only recently released pic.twitter.com/47XZ1N89ag— Nature is Amazing (@AMAZlNGNATURE) June 17, 2026 The Cozumel Dwarf Fox is Exceptionally Rare Rafael Chacón and others released more information about the discovery in the May 2026 issue of Neotropical Biology and Conservation. The last time anyone reported seeing a Cozumel dwarf fox was in 2001. “Virtually nothing is known about this population, and no species-specific, systematic survey has ever been conducted,” the paper explains. “However, it is considered critically endangered by scientific consensus and likely on the brink of extinction.” After finding the dwarf fox, skilled individuals took it to a veterinarian and released it back into the wild. Travis Bayer, a founder and executive director of the conservation organization Pathos Wildlife, told Smithsonian Magazine that they’ve installed 84 remote cameras and hair snares to collect DNA samples. “While [the] photographic evidence confirms the existence and survival of the Cozumel fox, it remains unstudied in the wild, undescribed by science, unassessed by the [International Union for Conservation of Nature] and unprotected while at immediate risk of extinction,” he said. “Without efforts to document and describe the species, they risk disappearing before they’re even known.” This story’s featured image can be found here

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s a particular kind of law that changes nothing overnight. The classrooms look the same the morning after it passes. The teachers haven’t changed. The children getting on buses are the same children who got on buses yesterday. But something has shifted underneath: what was once a promise has become a right. Zambia passed one of those laws this month. President Hakainde Hichilema signed the Education (Amendment) Act 2026, writing free public education into the country’s legal framework for every child from early childhood through secondary school. The policy has existed since 2022. But now, it cannot be unwound by the next government. A future administration would need parliamentary approval to reverse it. From policy to protection When Zambia abolished school fees in 2022, the results were immediate. More than 2.6 million children returned to school, according to government figures. For many families, the fee had been the barrier. Remove it, and the children show up. But a government policy is only as durable as the government that holds it. Vice-President Mutale Nalumango framed the new legislation as deliberate insulation against exactly that risk: access to education should not depend on the priorities of whichever administration happens to be in power. A legal obligation is a different thing from a political one. That distinction may prove to be the law’s most lasting contribution. The scale of what’s already changed The education figures Zambia has released in recent years are striking. In 2025, the country recorded a 70 percent Grade 12 pass rate, its highest on record. The government has also expanded classroom construction, recruited additional teachers, and grown school feeding programs that now support millions of learners. Officials point to these figures as evidence that access and outcomes can improve together. Education researchers are more measured: the real test is whether investment continues to keep pace with enrolment as more children enter a system that was already under pressure before 2022. What the rest of the continent’s experience suggests Zambia is not the first African country to pursue free education at scale. Ghana’s Free Senior High School program brought a surge in enrolment after 2017, but also created enough overcrowding that authorities introduced a double-track system to manage the load. When Kenya abolished primary school fees in 2003, millions of new pupils arrived almost overnight. Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Malawi, and South Africa have all attempted different versions of fee-free schooling, each confronting the same underlying tension: getting children through the door is the easier half of the problem. The harder half is what happens once they’re inside. Class sizes, teacher quality, whether rural communities are served as well as urban ones: these are the variables that determine whether a legal right to education becomes a meaningful one. What comes next The law is a floor, not a ceiling. Zambia has guaranteed the right. What it builds on top of that guarantee will determine whether 2026 is remembered as a turning point or a paperwork milestone. For the 2.6 million children who came back to school after 2022, the question is less abstract. They are already there. The new law is, among other things, a promise to them that the door will stay open.     Did this solution stand out? Share it with a friend or support our mission by becoming an Emissary.The post A new law in Zambia makes free education much harder for future governments to take away first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.