Fresh Banana Leaves and Indigenous Knowledge

In this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends, we chat with Dr. Jessica Hernandez, transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate, about her newly released book Fresh Banana Leaves, and her work in environmental justice and research.

Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti’ & Zapotec Binnizá) is a transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. She has an interdisciplinary academic background ranging from marine sciences to forestry. Her work is grounded in her Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing. She advocates for climate, energy, and environmental justice through her scientific and community work and strongly believes that Indigenous sciences can heal our Indigenous lands. In 2020, she became the first alumni from her high school in South Central Los Angeles to receive a doctoral degree. She is the founder of Piña Soul, SPC, an environmental consulting & artesanias hybrid business that supports Black & Indigenous-led conservation and environmental projects through community mutual aids and micro-grants.

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