Julius Ford / Harriet Tubman Healthy Living Community


The Julius Ford/Harriet Tubman Healthy Living Community (JF/HTHLC) is a year-round initiative that creates opportunities for critical thinking, healthy living and co-creating community among inter-generational educators, activists, artists, community builders and underserved youth. It is primarily based at Earthdance, Plainfield, Ma.

JF/HTHLC recognizes the reality of long-standing racial oppression and economic inequality experienced amongst urban youth and other underrepresented groups of young people and therefore aims to create an inter-generational experience that will provide tools, possibility and space for participants to empower themselves with support, encouragement and love. Participants span generational, race, city and class lines, and tackle issues of personal and social identity, aspects of oppression and other social problems or issues (homelessness, violence, etc.) impacting our communities.

JF/HTHLC  was co-founded by Julius Ford, Gopi Krishna, and Margit Galanter in 2007; and collaboratively organized along with Deborah Ferreira, Nia Akilah Rhaman-Khan Arana, Melle Dragon, and Dr. Enoch Page. Countless other people and organizations co-organized various events in the first years, have offered their support, and continue to organize current streams of the project and take the project in new directions, in collaboration with the home agency, Earthdance.

Julius Ford passed away fall 2009, may he Rest in Power. Julius is and will be a tremendous inspiration. 

Every Summer Earthdance hosts the JF/HT Healthy Living Conference, a week-long, intensive gathering of between 50-70 young people, educators, organizers and facilitators, to engage in key identified aspects of healthy living, critical thinking and communication skills, integrative arts and performance, nutrition, contemplative practices and co-creating community technologies.

Learn more about the Community:
Julius Ford Harriet Tubman Healthy Living Community | Earthdance

JFHTHLC Facebook