Raíces Verdes

A platform dedicated to validating, archiving and sharing the experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of color in connection to the environment. Raíces Verdes is a storytelling platform for healing our relationship with the earth and with each other. 

Introducing Visual Storytelling

Storytelling has been always been a important part of my identity, and for some time period in my youth, I became very passionate about telling stories through film photography. Later as young adult, I was introduced to documentary work centering Black and Indigenous voices through Comunicación Combativa, an autonomous media cooperative. As part of the growth I envision for Raíces Verdes, I want to expand telling stories of BIPOC and the environment into photo essays and short documentaries. Below are the first two visual storytelling project I have had the please of working on, which you can learn more about by clicking on each image or video. I am excited to embark on this journey and continue amplifying the green roots of  BIPOC – Samara Almonte (host/producer)

Collaborate with Raíces Verdes

Samara Almonte, host and creator of Raíces Verdes has been featured in different publications and media projects, which you can learn more about in the Collaborations page. In addition,  Samara has a list of different community offerings available for different audiences which you can learn more about under the Offerings page. For inquiries please message Raíces Verdes using the contact form on the website, or email raicesverdespodcast@gmail.com 

Featured Shows

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Coast Salish Stories

1 episodes
Elementor #3122
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RiSE: In the Time of Healing

1 episodes
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Black Geographies: Land Relationships Rooted in the Black Identity

3 episodes
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Latest Episodes

Instagram feed @nuestrasraicesverdes

New article up on @theoutbound ! This one is in honor of my experiences working and being in relationship with the youth and organizers from @youngwomenempowered @climateactionclub.ohs @capitalclimateclub,and beyond, and most recently (ft in this photo) the youth from @kingcountyparks Youth Conservation Corps summer program ✨ the work I do will always be informed by ancestral knowledge and led by the youth whose future I am impacting. May the land and its spirits continue to protect you and guide you on your journey. You are so loved , smart and powerful 💛 to read click the link on bio #theoutbound #writingresidency #youth #youthclimateaction #youthresistance #environmentaljustice #greenroots
Just wanted to give a little shout out to my bestie, colleague and fellow conspirator in this work ✨ My friend Eliana Bravo from @seedingreciprocity wrote a short article about the importance of Indigenous & Latinx representation in science. I am really proud of her and all the dreams she has for @seedingreciprocity and feel honored to support her in this work. Living in a climate crisis, at times we both can feel like we are not doing enough for our communities and this planet. But I think being unapologetically brown and Indigenous and reclaiming spaces that our ancestors were always meant to be part of is simply enough. So give @seedingreciprocity a follow, order some of Elli’s beadwork to support her work & hit up my girl to speak about her work! 🦬🌱 - - - #environmentalscience #indigenousscience #seedingreciprocity #environmentaljustice #raicesverdes #indigenouswomen #climatejustice
📍Kah’eese - Chinook territory | My second article for @theoutbound is now available on my profile! You can read it using the link in my bio 🌊 For this piece instead of writing a traditional travel blog about camping at Cape Dissapointment, I wrote about the violent history embedded in this state park’s name. If you ever get a chance to visit I highly recommend it. However, we must keep in mind whose land we are recreating on and how can we actively give reparations to those Indigenous communities. Self-determination and #LandBack for Indigenous people must be at the core of environmental stewardship. - - #theoutbound #writingresidency #greenroots #raicesverdes #environmentaljustice #naturewriting #diversifyoutdoors #indigenoushiker #indigenousland #latinxhikers #bipochikers
On August 9th, the world celebrated #InternationalndigenousPeoplesDay but really everyday is #IndigenousPeoplesDay. Which is why a few days later I wanted to share with you all my favorite quote from my first published article with @theoutbound. Identity as a displaced and disconnected Indigenous person is so complex, and writing this article made me reflect on a previous series of Raíces Verdes. "Beyond Chicanismo" is a series that for very self-centered reasons I wanted to create because at that time I was in such a deep turmoil of how to identify and whether or not I wanted to be part of the Chicanx community. Was it a contradiction to identify as a Chicana and work towards a decolonial land stewardship? I would say I explore parts of my answer to this question in my first Outbound piece titled "Finding Our Placed-Based Identities". You can read the piece using the link in my bio, and this is also where you will find the rest of my coming work for the residency. I am fully embracing this transitional time in my life and owning my journey as a reconnecting P'urhepecha women. As always here to know more about your #greenroots or #raicesverdes and how this work has help you reconnect. _ _ _ #Indigenouswomen #chicanismo #wocwriters #diversifyoutdoors #environmentaljustice #storytelling #writingresidency #landback
As I mentioned yesterday I am going through a transitional time and one of the ways I am hoping to document this time in my life is through writing. I am excited to announce that I am one of 3 @theoutbound Writing Resident for Underrepresented Storytellers 🌲From Outbound: “[The Residency] is an initiative we put into action in 2020 to foster representation and support past-due conversations throughout the outdoor industry. We're prioritizing featuring the work of our industry's underrepresented communities because we need to do a better job of elevating and amplifying their voices”. You can read my first article using the link in bio and make sure to read the amazing work of the other 2 residents @roving_ranger and @angels_excursions 🌲I am honored to share this time together and to connect through our writing. What kind of topics would you all be interested in reading about? 📸: @alejandrotakesphotoss Huanengo: @uanhasi #uanhasï #tejiendocultura - #diversifyoutdoors #naturewriting #outbound #wocwriters #raicesverdes #greenroots
I have been meaning to post this for some time now but as I will explain, life has just not allowed it. I have been thinking so much about where Raíces Verdes is moving towards and honestly it’s been so difficult for multiple reasons. All the plans I had at the begging of the year went out the door with the passing of my father. Then I transitioned into a new full-time job (I was only PT before) and that has completely altered my schedule which I am still working on balancing and adjusting. And to add to my wave of transitions, I moved during the month of July, lol so it’s been a lot. I know I don’t need to justify my absence and self-care,so that is not what that is. But for those who care even just a little about this platform, work and myself I just wanted to give an update (specially if you don’t follow my personal account). There are some new projects and ideas currently in the works for this platform but in a direction where maybe I am not the main director of the work. I am really just flowing with these transitions and making space for myself as much as I can. I also remind myself that this work in particular should not be stressful. It should be out of love, for community and to move in a just way. so until I know how I can move in the direction I want , i am simply floating 🌊 P.S - you can always support this work by simply sharing the podcast or platform and tagging the account in other relevant social media posts. I appreciate that I have not been forgotten 💛 📍Stillaguamish & Snohomish territory #raicesverdes #greenroots
In 2019 on June 3rd I decided to announce to the world my little project called “Raíces Verdes” or Green Roots. At that time I just thought it would be fun to podcast, I always wanted to be on a radio show and thought this could be a indie version of that dream. Two years later and this platform has truly transformed my life. I have met so many amazing people through this platform, connected with different communities, have had the opportunity to speak to many audiences, but most importantly find my power as a storyteller. And that wouldn’t be possibly without the support of my community and the trust of my guests who have shared amazing knowledge and stories with me throughout the two years. I am still processing a lot of personal things relating to the recent events in my life, so I am not quite ready to jump fully back into Season 3. However I hope to post more updates this week and if you are new to this space, I want to share some highlights with you from the past two years. From a podcast to an environmental justice storytelling platform. A new chapter in this work and my life is coming, and we are here with open arms embracing whatever the Universe and ancestors have in store for me 🌿 - - #raicesverdes #greenroots #storytelling #environmentaljustice #podsincolor #diversifyoutdoors #melaninbasecamp #indigenousstories #bipocoutdoors #sustainability #climatejustice
the newest episode by @amrpodcast had me thinking about a lot of the things I just recently experienced. As I have often shared in this platform, coming from a community that has not spoken our Indigenous language in decades, or even identifies as Indigenous is heartbreaking as I move through my own journey of reconnecting. Specially now that my father has left this physical world, I feel like he was one of the few people that on our good days would reflect with me on the ways we are still Indigenous. The newest ep of @amrpodcast is all about love, and the possibilities of love outside of a colonial framework. As I mourn my father, I truly believe it is our Indigenous love that is keeping me going. The love of the aunties and primas that fed me and gave a should to cry on while back home. The love of community members that cared for my father as they showed up with food and drinks to the funeral and with loving arms for my sister and I. The loving relationship I have with our land, and how the first thing I did when I arrived to our home was to sit on our land and let it hold me. I needed to feel it’s embrace before anyone else’s. The love of my community in Coast Salish territory that kept me protected through difficult and anxious times. Our call for loving one another and being in good relationship is more than your mainstream “all you need is love” hippy campaign. Our love is revolutionary, it’s political because it loves all our relatives from humans to animals and plants the same. I will love despite generational trauma. I will love despite experiencing so much loss. I will love because when I choose to love with every part of me, I am healing and paving the way for an even greater love story. A story of liberation and sovereignty. What does a love based on self-determination look like for you?
The sudden death of my father is something that has deeply hurt my core. Mi raíz verde. Regardless of our complicated relationship, our shared bond is so much of what inspires and leads this work. So loosing him has left such a void in my chest that at times I feel like I will never feel rooted again. I feel lost and unable to find direction for this work to move forward at this time. All I can do is feel and focus on staying afloat as the days come. I appreciate the community support and all I ask is that you all don’t forget about me and continue engaging with Raíces Verdes through its previous stories, for all the knowledge archived here is worth existing in a circular notion of time. There is so much unknown right now for me, but I leave you here with some photographs from the place my ancestors call home. From here, from this center is where I have built my frameworks to navigate this world, and within our ancestral knowledge and medicine is where I hope to find healing, regardless of where I am. the geographies of our world, help me navigate other worlds 🌿
I know that today is earth day, and under normal circumstances I’d be much more active in my posting...but this is where I’m at. Thank you for any support and medicine you are able to provide for my family and I during this time 💛🌿 For any questions please contact @paliboyoriginal - - #communitysupport #mutualaid #environmentaljustice #raicesverdes #greenroots
Ft Collaboration: A couple of weeks ago @wildlensinc released our collaborative podcast episode on their show Earth to Humans where we discussed all things Raíces Verdes, decolonial environmentalism and more! It’s actually a pretty short interview so go check it out using the link in profile. It’s always fun for me to be on the other side of the mic where I get to share my perspectives and opinions on things, so let me know what y’all think! @wildlensinc also highlighted a portion of my interview with @doctora_nature to highlight Raíces Verdes and a similar conversation centering Indigenous knowledge in environmental science 🌿✨ You can catch the episode on @spotifypodcasts - - - #RaicesVerdes #GreenRoots #EnvironmentalJustice #IndigenousKnowledge #Sustainability #DiversityOutdoors #AmplifyMelantedVoices #IntersectionalEnvironmentalism #DiasporaStories #Environment #Ecofeminism
Super excited to be part of this amazing panel!! I really love the focus on spirituality as I fully believe it is necessary to think about our connection to the earth as a spiritual one. Spiritual work is liberation work!! Register at bit.ly/wtfspirituality (LINK IN BIO) 🌿✨🌿✨ Posted @withregram • @faithfully.sustainable We’re so beyond excited to be partnering with our faves @sustainablebk for our first inter-faith/spirituality event “WTF Is Going on With Spirituality?” (this Wednesday April 14th @12 PM EST) to kick off their second “WTF” panel series! 💚 LINK IN BIO TO REGISTER 👉🏾 bit.ly/wtfspirituality We believe that faith and spirituality are the foundation of sustainability and path to reclaim liberation. And yet, they are consistently left out of the general sustainability conversation even as we face this crisis of spirituality that has disconnected us from ourselves, each other, and from the Earth. 🌎🌿 Join us for an exciting conversation with some incredible community members and leaders from the Faithfully Sustainable and Sustainable Brooklyn communities, as we reclaim and recenter BIPOC sustainability across various faiths and spiritualities from Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhi to various indigenous ancestral spiritual pathways! 🙏🏽 *This event is geared towards BIPOC communities to have a safe and healing space for this discussion, but all are welcome to attend.* 💚 Huge thanks to our sponsors @tishmancenter and @mate_the_label ! #faithfullysustainable #sustainability #sustainablefashion #spirituality #religion #faith #islam #buddhism #sikhi #indigenous #agriculture #ecosystem #environment #environmentaljustice #environmentalism #climatejustice #socialjustice #intersectionality #intersectionalsustainability  #community #compassion #care #ramadan #ramadan2021

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Raíces Verdes is a platform dedicated to validating, archiving and sharing the experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of color in connection to the environment