Brown Thumbs: Exploring Punjabi x Mexican Land Solidarity

USAAF 2026 Event - Get your tickets here!

Brown Thumbs will be showcasing the ways that relationship to land manifests in the artistic and sociocultural identities of Punjabi and Mexican communities, how this common ground has historically created solidarity between these cultures, and how this looks today. Through a curated panel, performances, and a community art activation we seek to shed light on how and why our communities have come together in California, and how we can honor these parallels by building collective power as a means to resist division and threats to safety in contemporary times.

Brown Thumbs is a platform to share the overlapping histories of Punjabi and Mexican ancestors. Sharing these stories can inform our efforts to cultivate space for healing and amplify intersections that have been historically erased. In contemporary times we have found continued solidarity amongst these two communities as both have been severely impacted by ICE raids. Brown Thumbs is a call to action, an effort to build on common ground through shared struggle, and support for one another as our immigrant families face detention and deportation. Our event honors this continuum of solidarity by creating space for art and healing as we engage in this struggle together. Through celebrating land, labors of love, and cross-cultural connection, Brown Thumbs honors the earth as a site of connection and resistance. Proceeds from this event will be split between covering event costs and towards mutual aid for families impacted by ICE.

//photo from Kaahania Sowing Seeds of Change panel in 2024