The Incite Institute at Columbia University
(2025 - 2026)
Assembling Voices Fellow
Launched in 2020, Assembling Voices is a year-long fellowship that supports activists, artists, scholars, workers, and others with ideas for public initiatives that bring people together to address community-identified issues in novel ways. During the program year, fellows receive income, initiative, and travel support, as well as intellectual, administrative, and professional support from Incite Institute and our vast network. Selected as a 2025-2026 Assembling Voices Fellow by the Incite Institute at Columbia University, Juan is assembling a coalition to bridge resource, network, and capacity gaps among farmer-led organizations and farmers in Mississippi through his work. The initiative connects nonprofits and farmers to share resources and build collective power through a centralized newsletter featuring agricultural jobs, grants, and programming opportunities, along with regular convenings. By breaking down silos, the project aims to create a healthier, more resilient network of Mississippi farmers. You can sign up for the Mississippi Farmer-to-Farmer Newsletter here!
Click here to learn more about Juan’s Silos project!
Mississippi and the Future of Food Sovereignty
In collaboration with the National Young Farmers Coalition, the Incite Institute at Columbia University, and the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity of Mississippi, this presentation was delivered to the 2026 cohort of Progressive Youth of Mississippi’s fellows. This interactive presentation and art project focuses on providing a historical and social justice-centered analysis of current and past efforts by Mississippi farmers and activists to preserve agricultural land and create a path to food sovereignty. After the presentation, fellows created art collages from recycled materials of how they envision a future where food is accessible and affordable, where Black and Brown people have equitable access to land, and one free of overbearing data centers.
