|
|
|
The
Community Garden and the Parker Essential Fund
Growing
a tomato is a form of activism. That
is what my students learned in the agrarian course they took with me last
spring. Instead of succumbing to
“the disconnect” with that which sustains them, the earth, they took time
out of their busy lives to build a garden and nurture that which grew in it.
Not only were they literally planting seeds, but they were also taking
a stand. They were saying that
for at least a very small piece of ground on the side of their school, they
could connect with the growing cycle, something bigger and larger than just
buying some perfect California tomato grown in some hothouse that they have
very little connection with. They
were showing through their actions that they don’t necessary feel
comfortable with being a cog in the massive globalization system they have
very little say in. And that is
why growing a tomato is a form of activism. But
a teacher cannot purport to instill progressive ideals without the support of
his or her community. Promoting
progressive ideals takes money, plain and simple.
The members of the Parker Essential Fund (PEF) know this to be true as
well. That is why I want to
commend the PEF for funding my community garden project last year.
Not only did the PEF give the funds that helped buy the supplies to
build the garden, but they also funded the opportunity for six students to
attend a local Food Project conference which makes the connection between
growing food and its role in instilling social justice.
It has something to do with the fact that we all need to eat,
regardless of our social standing. The coming together of people of all walks of life to join in
the process of growing food is widely affirming and the basis by which we can
get to know each other, and to find out where other people are coming from.
Someone who has their eye on the “big picture” realizes that is a
place to start if you want to build a world with social justice in mind. It
would be a tall order to say that any one of us has our “eye on the big
picture”, but the PEF certainly knows something about the need to fund a
good idea. So, thank you very
much PEF. Thank you for helping
to support your kids’ progressive education. By
the way, the greatest thing about the funding for the community garden was
that it is the basis for building something sustainable.
We now have the infrastructure for planting many gardens for years to
come. Here’s to future tomatoes
and learning through activism. Clay
Hobart
|
