RET reply to River(Of Forestry Crew) comment against Earthly Wilds BIPOC Community
Posted by the Racial Equity Team (RET) on 1/14/26
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River: “I do not support giving away Twin Oaks land. If we are able, I would prefer a similar loan agreement as was afforded Twin Oaks, Acorn…”
- River, Earthly Wilds Community is intentionally different from the communities you mentioned. Its mission is rooted in BIPOC liberation and empowerment through land reparations, and a loan is absolutely not the same as land reparations. Those earlier arrangements were internal expansions of the same institutional culture, while reparations require a break from precedent rather than its replication. A loan preserves long term leverage and conditionality, which undermines material repair and makes true autonomy, sovereignty, and economic freedom impossible under the power dynamics of owing Twin Oaks money. The purpose of land reparations is to shift power through equitable redistribution toward those who have been systemically marginalized here for generations, as was clearly outlined in the reparations paper shared in early December. Land justice cannot be identical to prior internal expansion models. If it were, it wouldn’t be reparative.
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River: “As well as me having an emotional attachment to the land, forestry has invested a lot in developing the land for wood harvesting with the side benefit of recreational use. Having a development over there would greatly affect forestry going forward…”
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It is valid and meaningful that you have a personal attachment to this land, and our intention is not to sever that relationship but to expand who gets to have one. Your attachment is real, and it also exists within a broader responsibility to address how this land was “acquired”, how the previous owners "acquired" it, etc, going back through history. Earthly Wilds exists to create a safe, supportive place for Black, Indigenous, and people of color to rebuild relationships to land that were broken through generations of racial violence and exclusion, especially given this land’s Monacan history and Twin Oaks’ own unfortunate racial dynamics. Consider who has historically been denied the same attachment to land that you get to enjoy. We do not see Earthly Wilds as incompatible with forestry work, and we do not share the assumption that sustainable ecological development means your displacement. Stewardship can be co designed, with continued firewood access, harvest zones, and seasonal coordination. The land is large enough for shared use if we approach it collaboratively, and this intent is already reflected in the land trust language affirming ongoing Twin Oaks recreational use and the Forestry Crew’s role as long standing stewards in a relationship of shared responsibility, coordination, and mutual respect.
- "Twin Oakers have a long-term relationship with “The Monacan Land” through hiking, camping, and quiet recreational use, and this relationship is intended to continue in ways that remain in harmony with the land and residents."
- “The Twin Oaks Forestry Crew is recognized as long-standing stewards of “The Monacan Land.” Their forestry work, firewood collection, and land care practices are honored and intended to continue as part of an ongoing relationship of shared stewardship, coordination, and mutual respect.”
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It is valid and meaningful that you have a personal attachment to this land, and our intention is not to sever that relationship but to expand who gets to have one. Your attachment is real, and it also exists within a broader responsibility to address how this land was “acquired”, how the previous owners "acquired" it, etc, going back through history. Earthly Wilds exists to create a safe, supportive place for Black, Indigenous, and people of color to rebuild relationships to land that were broken through generations of racial violence and exclusion, especially given this land’s Monacan history and Twin Oaks’ own unfortunate racial dynamics. Consider who has historically been denied the same attachment to land that you get to enjoy. We do not see Earthly Wilds as incompatible with forestry work, and we do not share the assumption that sustainable ecological development means your displacement. Stewardship can be co designed, with continued firewood access, harvest zones, and seasonal coordination. The land is large enough for shared use if we approach it collaboratively, and this intent is already reflected in the land trust language affirming ongoing Twin Oaks recreational use and the Forestry Crew’s role as long standing stewards in a relationship of shared responsibility, coordination, and mutual respect.
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River: “I realize my attention to community affairs has been generally lacking, but I don’t remember a discussion about whether we should pay reparations and what the form of them should be”
- It’s completely understandable to not follow every community discussion. That said, Twin Oaks land reparations for the creation of a new BIPOC-centered community have been openly discussed for over five months as of this writing. On August 20th 2025, RET hosted a full community wide meeting where “land reparations” were the publicly posted topic, generating support, interest, and many follow-up questions. On August 21st, an O&I paper was shared explaining more written details, plans, and answers to frequently asked questions. On August 30th, the project was publicly announced at the Communities Conference in the BIPOC Sanctuary Dome (watch the video of this announcement at EarthlyWilds.com or on Twin Oaks Discord in the Racial Justice channel). Additional O&Is over the months have addressed this topic since then. Planners even posted an o&i with tentative support. These discussions have been ongoing and have been widely accessible to the whole community at every step.
-RET