Help ANV challenge oppressive dynamics + environments through urban farming

When I tell others about my East Oakland neighborhood, they often give me looks of disbelief or ask if I live in Mayberry. I don't know of many other spots with a welcome committee for new neighbors, or a 40+ year old neighborhood organizing board, or nearly a dozen community events per year.

My favorite annual event is our block party, which centers on sharing food, music, and appreciations. We come together to nourish each other with our family recipes, with our shared connections, and with our intentions and hopes for our street. I wrote this 3-part haiku series to capture the feeling of the block party, and to reflect on how - at my block party, like in Acta Non Verba's work - food and place can be central in challenging oppressive dynamics.

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Summer street, sunshine;

Grilling, eating, sharing here;

growing together.

Generations of

Community, showing up

for one another.

Weaving the strands of

Food, friendship, activism,

love. Feeling thankful.