Earthly Wilds Community is a new project based in Louisa County, VA. It is being created by and for Black, Indigenous, and people of color who are seeking a sanctuary for autonomy, healing, and collective liberation. Rooted in egalitarian and anti-capitalist values, we are building an intentional community that combines sustainable living, off-grid resilience, and ancestral earth skills with modern cooperative structures. Our vision is to create a safe and thriving space where BIPOC people can live, grow food, share resources, and practice self-determination free from the daily pressures of systemic oppression. We invite friends, allies, and supporters to join us in this work, whether through participation, solidarity, or material support, as we bring Earthly Wilds to life.
The word “Earthly” affirms practices like permaculture, companion planting, ethical animal husbandry, and agroforestry. These methods align with Indigenous and African diasporic traditions, while supporting soil health and biodiversity. “Earthly” also keeps the vision grounded in the reality of this planet, and our cultural histories on earth. It is about healing generational trauma, rebuilding culture, and creating just, sustainable futures right here, not somewhere abstract or idealized. It signals that this is not just some “happy little bubble utopia” where people can just stick their heads in the sand ignoring all the suffering happening in the “mainstream” world, but rather a community rooted in the struggles and beauty of this “country”, and the wider world. The word “Earthly” also roots the vision in the material, living systems of the planet, the soil, the sun, the water, and the ecosystems that sustain life. It implies a worldview where Humans are not separate from nature, but participants in its cycles. Where the land is not a resource to be extracted, but a relative to be honored. Where “sustainability” isn’t a greenwashed marketing trend, it’s ancestral knowledge, lived practice, and a necessity for our future survival on this planet. Historically, the “Wilds” were seen by colonial and imperial powers as dangerous, uncivilized, untamed places to be feared, conquered, “civilized,” or erased. But for Black, Indigenous, and other oppressed peoples, “The Wilds” have often been a refuge, a site of freedom. Maroons and fugitives fled into forests, swamps, and mountains to escape slavery and live freely in community. Indigenous peoples have preserved language, ceremony, and culture by retreating from colonized zones into ancestral “wild” lands. The wild is where people escaped surveillance, domination, and forced assimilation. The word "Wild" speaks to freedom from control and domination, especially from white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and colonial systems. It implies reclaiming freedom, space, and land outside of imposed systems. "Wild" also speaks to liberation of the self, a shedding of imposed identities, binaries, expectations, and restrictions. It is a space to live in our bodies freely, especially for queer, trans, and gender-expansive POC reclaiming space outside of normative oppressive structures. In this context, “wild” isn’t chaotic, it’s sovereign and indomitable.
Earthly Wilds explicitly stands against racism, fascism, sexism, ableism, capitalism, the state, genocide, and hierarchical power structures. We affirm BIPOC empowerment, autonomy, queer liberation, intersectionality, environmental sustainability, Afro-Indigenous land practices, disaster resilience, egalitarian decision-making, and shared income through community enterprises. These are not slogans; they are the lens through which every decision and priority will be set.
Intentional communities have often failed to fully include Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Policies, labor systems, communication norms, and cultural expectations can make it hard for BIPOC members to thrive. Earthly Wilds Community will address that. It is designed to be a sanctuary, a place where BIPOC members can live, organize, and thrive, alongside committed white allies who respect the community’s priorities.
We envision a community on at least 40 acres, with a mix of forest and field, water access, and room for autonomy. We are still in the process of trying to obtain a land donation that meets these needs. Buildings will include ecological and off-grid dwellings, solar power, geothermal heating and cooling, gardens, and other systems that support self-sufficiency and resilience. The goal is a living environment that is both practical and experimental, where sustainability and creativity intersect. Food security and food sovereignty are at the heart of this vision. We intend to grow much of our own food through community gardening, food forests, and permaculture designs that restore the land while nourishing us. We are committed to Afro-Indigenous land management practices, which honor ancestral knowledge and offer a different relationship to land than extractive or industrial agriculture. Together, these practices will sustain our community while protecting ecological balance for generations to come.
We reject hierarchical power structures, not just as an idea but in practice. Power will flow horizontally, not vertically, and decisions will be made through consent, not coercion. Prioritizing marginalized voices ensures true equality of participation because flattening formal structures alone does not erase systemic oppression. Decisions will primarily be made by those most directly affected by them. All decisions must align with our core values unless those values are formally amended by full consent. Starting small, we will use a consent-based decision-making model similar to what the Racial Equity Team currently uses: any member can make a proposal, proposals pass if no one objects within a defined time frame, and objections must come with a friendly amendment to the proposal. This process encourages a balance of oppose and propose, so that objections are constructive and paired with alternative solutions rather than simple rejection. As we grow, we may use temporary delegates to facilitate or manage specialized tasks, always directly elected, immediately recallable, and dissolving back into the collective after their task is complete. Power originates at the base and ultimately returns to it; this is not representative hierarchy, but facilitation of collective work.
Earthly Wilds Community will begin with a land donation, which we are currently seeking from Twin Oaks. After that, we will rely on financial donations and grants in order to establish our core survival infrastructure needs. However, we will become financially sustainable, primarily through internal community-owned, anti-capitalist worker co-ops, where all profits are distributed evenly to members. Examples include: Hosting tours, skill shares, and educational retreats Selling produce, art, or crafts at local markets, or online where applicable Portable tiny house construction, for sale or as vacation rentals Empowering members to use their pre-existing skillsets to start other worker-owned ventures Revenue from these businesses will support operating costs and provide an income-sharing system, like a universal basic income, that members can spend however they choose. This model emphasizes collective benefit and long-term resilience over individual accumulation.
Labor will be organized and led by the laborers themselves. Those who contribute decide how work is distributed, how it is credited, and how it supports the community. Accessibility, fairness, and skill-building are central to this system. Labor is about trust, shared responsibility, and sustaining the community, not control or hierarchy.
Earthly Wilds is not a finished blueprint; it is a seed. And we are inviting all of you, community builders, seekers, donors, and collaborators, to tend it. Your energy, your labor, your ideas, and your resources can help this sanctuary grow. Whether you envision joining as a member, contributing skills, or supporting in other ways, there is a place for your participation. This is a chance to create a space where BIPOC voices are central, where autonomy and care for the land meet, and where the communal movement can grow in new and just directions. Earthly Wilds is ready to take root. Will you help us tend it?