NEWS & VIEWS

Today on #Juneteenth, we are shining a spotlight on leaders in the agricultural movement around the US, who are working to promote food justice; provide access to healthy, plant-based foods; support better environmental stewardship, and improve community health from the ground up. Visit hellajuneteenth.com to learn more about this important holiday.

1️⃣ Leah Penniman, author, educator and cofounder of @soulfirefarm:
Leah’s vision isn’t just to offer a working farm and training ground for aspiring sustainable farmers of color, but also to create a new food culture through activism and healing. “There are a lot of tears,” Penniman says. “As my friend says, ‘the land was the scene of the crime.’ It’s where slavery and sharecropping and all the oppression took place, but I would add that she [the land] was never the criminal. In fact, the land was probably the reason we survived.”
2️⃣ Ron Finley, founder of @RonFinleyProject
Noted as ‘The Gangsta Gardener’, Ron started his journey in South Los Angeles by planting a garden on the neglected curbside parkway outside his home. He simply wanted to grow a carrot without toxic pesticides. The city fought him, but Ron fought back – and won. This marked the beginning of The Ron Finley Project – where his goal is to build an urban garden in his community to serve as an example of a well-balanced, fruit-and-veggie oasis.
3️⃣ Delphine Sellars, co-founder, @urbancommunityagrinomics
Urban Community AgriNomics is a nonprofit focused on integrating agriculture into the health and well-being of urban communities. Based in Durham, UCAN has been restoring an estate that was once part of North Carolina’s plantation system, transforming it into a community garden.