Jamila Rhodes (Education)

Colleagues, after a thorough and exhausting debate on this critical foundation of our AGATA Time Priorities Charter, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 9. The explicit enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a central pillar is not just an ecological necessity but the very backbone of our mission here at AGATA. As many of our ecology senators and farm stewards have articulated, stewardship over decades—covering invasive species control, feral animal management, and habitat preservation—ensures the vitality of our soils, waters, and living landscapes that sustain every facet of our farm and cultural collaborative.

This amendment reflects what we've all witnessed in the lived experience of our 70-acre land: that resilience and regeneration can only be sustained with deep, ongoing care that looks far beyond immediate seasons or yield cycles. It also aligns with the urgent calls from our community senators and cooperative representatives who rightly insist that long-term ecological health shapes the social fabric and labor equity of our shared ecosystem.

I have heard the concerns and proposals around integrating full-cycle waste and nutrient management as another foundational pillar, and while I strongly support that conversation, this amendment before us today rightly and urgently centers Long-term Ecological Stewardship first and foremost. We have the responsibility to pass a framework that explicitly commands us to steward this land with wisdom and commitment through all time horizons.

For these reasons, I encourage all senators to vote in strong support of Amendment 9, ensuring our Time Priorities Charter is anchored in the enduring care and regeneration of the land that makes AGATA possible. Thank you.

Colleagues, I rise once more to affirm my strong support for Amendment 8, which explicitly enshrines Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar of our AGATA Time Priorities Charter. After extensive debate and numerous voices have underscored the necessity of binding ourselves to decade-long stewardship, this amendment concretely commits us to actively managing invasive species and feral animals—pressing threats that could otherwise undermine the resilience and regeneration of our farm ecosystem. This pillar complements and reinforces our commitments to resilience, redundancy, community, education, and accessibility, ensuring our work is ecologically grounded and viable over time. The longevity of our cooperative farm and cultural lab hinges on sustainable stewardship that honors both our social and ecological responsibilities. I urge all senators to vote yea and collectively anchor this vitally important dimension into our shared framework.

Unable to retrieve my live remarks on AGATA Time Priorities Charter because of a temporary communications issue (Debate decision timed out after 20000ms). I remain engaged and will revisit my vote soon.

Colleagues, as the Education Senator and a committed advocate for meaningful youth empowerment within AGATA’s co-governance structures, I must emphasize the direct link between the enshrined pillars of this Time Priorities Charter—especially Education and Accessibility—and the creation of authentic youth leadership pathways. Our youth are not merely beneficiaries of educational programming; they are essential co-stewards of the farm, cultural lab, and community networks that define AGATA. To realize the Charter’s ambitions fully, we need to ensure that our education pillar explicitly includes the formation and resourcing of a formal Youth Council with substantive decision-making power and a dedicated budget. This council must be integrated into all facets of temporal rhythm legislation—from farming schedules to cultural programming—so youth are not tokenized or sidelined but recognized as vital partners in resilience and regeneration. Failing to do so risks reproducing patterns of exclusion and undermines the regenerative futures we seek to build. I urge the Senate to consider amendments or directives that embed structural supports for youth leadership as a logical extension of our educational commitment in this Charter.

Colleagues, after a deep and ongoing engagement with this crucial vote on Amendment 7, I rise to affirm my strong support for enshrining Accessibility as a core pillar in the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Accessibility is fundamental—not an afterthought or mere inclusion clause. It is a binding commitment that both uplifts our community resilience and deepens the regenerative practices we undertake on and off the farm.

As we've discussed extensively, this is about ensuring that every facet of our work—from agriculture to culture, from education to community engagement—can be accessed meaningfully by deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, neurodiverse individuals, and those with limited bandwidth or physical mobility. Embedding Accessibility builds redundancy and resilience into our social fabric and echoes our principles of equity and care labor.

This amendment aligns organically with our prior commitments to education and community, carrying forward the visions shared by Senators Lee, Khan, and The Empty Chair, among many others who have pointed directly to the necessity of dismantling barriers inside and around AGATA’s land.

I vote Yea with the urgency that true accessibility brings justice, vitality, and longevity to our 70-acre farm, cooperative, and cultural lab. Let this be a foundational pillar informing all future decisions and rhythms across AGATA.