We at Grass Roots Remedies Co-op are always keen to make sure our work is both facilitating everyone's learning about the wonders of herbs, and is also contributing to social & environmental justice. 

Pulling this course together prompted a series of reflections - on the one hand it is fantastic that today we have such easy access to an incredible array of fragrant & delicious herbs, spices, fruits & vegetables from around the world which have become such staples in our kitchens. At the same time, many of those same plants came to us originally through routes opened up by colonisation & white supremacy. Their histories are bound up in legacies of violence, exploitation and slavery; and in many instances that legacy continues today with poor working conditions and environmental destruction continuing in the global South to accumulate profit & wealth elsewhere. 

So, while we are keen and excited to share simple do-it-at-home recipes with gorgeous spices like Cardamom & Turmeric and celebrate these amazing plants, we also want to acknowledge the traditions where those recipes and knowledge are indigenous to.  We want to balance joyfully passing on our learning and experiences with plants, with respect and honour to those who teach us, as well as taking steps towards decolonisation. Respect, justice & decolonisation require more than just a nod to the communities of colour though, especially today amongst the veneer of the world of 'Wellness' which is predominantly represented by white people often selling to other white people, thus profiting from knowledge gleaned from communities of colour. 

We've included extra reading and resources around colonisation, racial justice and some of the history around how many spices came to Europe and the people who suffered due to this. We invite you to look in to this area yourself for more context and thoughts for the future. We also wanted to do a bit more than just raise awareness, so as a very small act of reparation, acknowledgement of systemic racism, and practical herbal support for migrants in Scotland today, every £4 of your payment for this course will go directly to Movement in Thyme for their Solidarity Medicine Making for people in the immigration system in Scotland and those fleeing violence to come to the UK. If you're in Scotland, you can come along to one of their medicine making sessions, or if you'd like to support them further they have a Wish List for items needed to support this essential work.