MEET THE STEERING COLLECTIVE
The steering collective is the central hub of decision making for the Center for Grassroots Organizing. We are organizers and educators with a diverse background in community organizing, social and environmental justice, indigenous solidarity, prison abolition, and in connecting the dots between these struggles.
ASHANTI ALSTON
is a former member of the Black Panther Party and ex-political prisoner. Formerly an IAS board member, he publishes the Zine Anarchist Panther. He has been a guest lecturer all over the country, including at the Institute for Social Ecology in Vermont, speaking on the Panthers and the history of Black nationalist movements.
He has spent time in Chiapas, Mexico, studying the autonomous structure of Zapatista communities and working on his memoirs. Ashanti resides in Providence, RI with his partner Viviane and their two wildly adorable and amazing children, Biko and Yasmeeni. He is active with the Jericho Amnesty Movement, Estacion Libre, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Critical Resistance.
GRAHAM UNANGST-RUFENACHT
grew up in East Montpelier and currently lives in Plainfield, VT. He has grazed and raised grass fed and finished beef cattle in different parts of central Vermont for more than 10 years; and has been operating Robinson Hill Beef in Calais, VT since 2013. He also collaboratively runs an edible and medicinal landscaping company, Walking Onion.
Graham has worked as a mentor and educator with youth ages 6-18 at EarthWalk Vermont, the ROOTS School, the King Street Youth Center, Uprise! Camp, and other local schools and educational programs. He offers adult education in the community as well – from agroecological practices, to fermentation and herbalism. Graham is the Field Organizer at Rural Vermont, and previously served on its Board – a small farm and economic justice advocacy and policy organization. Graham graduated from UVM with a degree in Religious Studies and Plant and Soil Science; has a Permaculture Design Certificate from Yestermorrow Design / Build School; and attended the 3 year clinical herbal training program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.
CAT BUXTON
is a busy cross-pollinator and change facilitator from the White River watershed in Vermont. She is an effective and enthusiastic educator, community organizer, and advocate for food system change. She works with individuals, schools, community groups, and statewide and national organizations to make a difference one meal, one compost pile, and one landscape at a time. From behavior change to climate change, local food to global food, grassroots organizing to legislative policy making, Cat is all about empowering people to affect the necessary changes to restore health to people and planet. Cat works on topics such as soil and ecosystem health, community resilience, composting, water catchment, landscape planning, monitoring landscape function, and increasing biodiversity. Cat is a musician, artist, and self-described microbe geek. Learn more about Cat’s work at Grow More, Waste Less
HENRY HARRIS
grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He and his amazing 14 year old daughter live at the new center in Marshfield, VT. Henry has worked in social movements and building trades around the US, volunteer organizing mass actions, smaller actions, food sovereignty projects, and supporting racial and economic justice work. He currently works with the VT National Lawyers Guild, Extinction Rebellion, an arts & action collective called the Make, does local and national direct action training. His favorite current work is coordinating and support the Youth Action Alliance and a teen arts and action summer camp called Uprise Camp.