DRAFT LOCAL PROFILES
FOOD JUSTICE IN ACTION Gardens in Philadelphia have for generations told the story of Black communities escaping sharecropping and Jim Crow in the South and bringing farming traditions to Philadelphia. Similarly, immigrants to this city have sustained cultural connections and traditions through growing. The formation of food justice spaces and organizations led by these communities have been instrumental in providing food production support in their communities. > Glenwood Green Acres, a 3.5-acre space in North Philadelphia, is considered one of the city’s nine Keystone Gardens—a special designation from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) for gardens “distinguished by their large size, longevity, and commitment.” In existence for over 30 years, it is the largest preserved community garden, and one of the oldest. Growers cultivate heritage vegetables like collard greens, lettuce, peppers, eggplant, squash, string beans, okra, and blackberries. Started by a husband and wife who were gardeners and lived across the street, the garden remains active today, with many Black elders still tending their plots and sharing knowledge, produce, and stories with the next generation of growers.6 > VietLead is a grassroots community organization serving the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Its Farm and Food Sovereignty Program stems from a belief that “the land provides refugees and immigrants along with other communities of color a source of self-determination through growing and cooking fresh cultural foods.” At two local garden sites, the group facilitates intergenerational relationships between youth and elders, grounds participants in the “history of our plant-cestors and people ancestors,” and fosters mental, physical, and emotional health among “descendants of a people impacted by war and trauma.”7 > Beginning in 1973, Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP) has created and fostered places of gathering, cultural vision, and resiliency for the Puerto Rican community of Kensington and beyond. Through its network of six gardens dedicated to Puerto Rican cultural heritage and the delivery of youth programming, NSNP continues to embody and reflect the cultural wisdom that is deeply rooted in community and intergenerational relationships therein. NSNP values the cultivation of young leaders in and around Norris Square, and endeavors to prepare these youth for a future in which art, agriculture, technology, and cultural awareness can be leveraged for individual agency and community prosperity. Top: Eddie Corbitt, of Germantown, waters his plot at Glenwood Green Acres (Photo courtesy of Akira Suwa for The Philadelphia Inquirer). Middle: Students gather at Furness Community School Garden as part of VietLead’s Farm and Food Sovereignty Program (Photo courtesy of VietLead, www.vietlead.org). Bottom: Las Parcelas Community Garden (Photo courtesy of Norris Square Neighborhood Project, www. myneighborhoodproject.org).
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN
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