Athena Bernkopf

Athena Bernkopf (they/them), Sustainable Networks Steward, is a cross-pollinator tending to the intersecting roots of Black and queer liberation, housing and healing justice. They are leading our development of sustainable land tenure systems, reflecting a deep commitment to self governance and communal stewardship. Raised in Bed-Stuy, NYC, Athena has facilitated processes to implement sustainable land tenure and collective governance structures. Previously Athena served as Project Director of the East Harlem/El Barrio Community Land Trust, where they worked to build out infrastructure for community ownership and tenant-led governance of land and housing. They have been a member of the Oasis Solidarity Collective, where they have facilitated popular education-based learning spaces that deepen capacity for consensus-focused solidarity economy formations. Athena supports strategies for strengthening and expanding the scale of solidarity economies as a board member of the Cooperative Economics Alliance of NYC. Driven by a vision of cityscapes abundant in ancient trees taller and more common than skyscrapers, Athena's work is pivotal in manifesting WILDSEED's values of self determination, liberatory economics, and transformative justice.