Episode 33: Karen Washington, on Farming, Food Justice and Community Organizing

Karen Washington discusses community organizing in The Bronx, urban agriculture, the role of food in the Black freedom struggle and the need for the Black Farmers Fund.

Karen Washington has been a resident of The Bronx for over 26 years, although in 2015 she began living part time in Orange County, NY near the farm. Since 1985 Karen has been a community activist, striving to make New York City a better place to live. As a community gardener and board member of the New York Botanical Gardens, Karen worked with Bronx neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate, she stood up and spoken out for garden protection and preservation. As a member of the La Familia Verde Community Garden Coalition, she helped launched a City Farms Market, bringing garden fresh vegetables to her neighbors. She also co-founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. In 2012 Ebony magazine voted her one of their 100 most influential African Americans in the country, and in 2014 she was awarded with the James Beard Leadership Award. Karen was a Physical Therapist for over 30 years, and she "retired" in April 2014 to start Rise & Root Farm.  Editor’s note: we recorded this episode in December, hence some of the current event references are outdated, but we chose not to edit it to retain the full impact of Karen’s words. Enjoy.

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Episode #33 Notes

1:00 - How did you become a community organizer?

3:00 - What necessitates organizing in The Bronx?

6:45 - Defining food apartheid.

10:50 - How did you get started in the community garden movement?

16:45 - What inspired you and others to organize Black Urban Growers (BUGS)

24:15 - Rise and Root Farm and worker ownership.

31:15 - What role has food played in the black freedom struggle?

38:15 - Black Farmers Fund

45:00 - Who are some of the people from the Black Freedom struggle who inspired your work?

51:00 - How do you define food sovereignty?

53:00 - Justice for Black Farmers Act.

59:00 - Reading Recommendations!

The Color of Wealth: Black Banks and The Radical Wealth Gap, Mehrsa Baradaran

Farming While Black, Leah Penniman

Freedom Farmers, Dr. Monica M. White

Growing Out Loud, K. Rashid Nuri