Red Emma’s

Ife Kilimanjaro, Ph.D., (she/her) is the Co-Executive Director / Managing Director of Soulfire Farm. Ife  is a grandmother, author, researcher, educator, activist, traditional healer and spirit warrior whose life and work are informed by her deep commitment to healing, justice and co-creating a better world. Underlying her personal and professional accomplishments is a deep understanding that as we fight for and bring into being a better world for all, it is important to simultaneously make our inner worlds (i.e., mind-body-spirit) and relationships healthy and whole. This is what inspired Ife to be the co-founder of The Wind & The Warrior, a spirit-movement workspace to further the integration of social activism and spiritual practice. Prior to Soul Fire Farm, Ife served on the leadership team at the U.S. Climate Action Network.

Jacqueline Patterson is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership. The mission of the Chisholm Legacy Project is rooted in a Just Transition Framework, serving as a vehicle to connect Black communities on the frontlines of climate justice with the resources to actualize visions. Prior to the launch of the Chisholm Legacy Project, Patterson served as the Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program for over a decade. During her tenure, she founded and implemented a robust portfolio which included serving the state and local leadership whose constituencies consisted of hundreds of communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice. She also led a team in designing and implementing a portfolio to support political education and organizing work executed by NAACP branches, chapters, and state conferences. Since 2007, Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change. Her passion for social justice led her to serve as coordinator & co-founder of Women of Color United; Senior Women’s Rights Policy Analyst for ActionAid; Assistant Vice-President of HIV/AIDS Programs for IMA World Health, Outreach Project Associate for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Research Coordinator for Johns Hopkins University, and U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica.