Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierra Dorsey.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
KD’s Homestead Market was created as a platform for black creatives in the domestic arts. The co-op was conceptualized during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme social unrest. We knew that feminine healing in the form of grace, beauty, and softness was needed within our communities, so we rounded up a small group of creatives, put our minds/talents to work, and started popping up in Washington, DC and Phoenix. The co-op currently consists of a yoga instructor, writer, herbalist, chef, lactation consultant, resin artist, chemist/soapmaker and postpartum doula,
In January 2021, we condensed our physical operation solely to Phoenix, where we began our journey as full-time farmers outside of our city homesteads. We can be found hosting educational events, coffee ceremonies, plant/seed swaps, and intimate dining experiences throughout The Valley.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha! Absolutely NOT!…But also…Ha Ha Ha! It absolutely HAS!
As Black Women relearning/remembering ancestral practices such as: farming, baking, canning, preserving, and creating sacred space in the home, can be triggering. There is SO much emotional labor involved in our areas of expertise. Labor that for hundreds of years has been stolen, and exploited.
We love our work, especially helping women in the community come into their own as domestic goddesses! HOWever, intergenerational trauma is unearthed during the process, and requires us to hold space outside of teaching folx how to start a seed nursery, care for their families using accessible herbs, or making a sourdough starter.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are renaissance women, and we enjoy learning, practicing our craft(s), and sharing our gifts and offerings to the community. Because our area of expertise is Home Economics, we are most known for our work in the kitchen and garden!
We are most proud of our commitment to sustainablity in beautiful and creatives ways: using every part of our harvests for cooking, stock, compost, or preserves, resting to preserve our energy when necessary, abstaining from disposables, and inviting the community in to benefit from our ancestral wisdom.
What matters most to you?
Co-creation by any means necessary.
Beauty.
Sustainability.
Community.
…because the capitalist system that we were born in is lacking in all of these areas, and we’re over it!
Contact Info:
- Email: kdshomesteadmarket@gmail.com
- Instagram: kdshomesteadmarket
- Facebook: kdshomesteadmarket
Image Credits
Cierra Dorsey
Brandie Kindred
