Since time immemorial, Indigenous people have celebrated storytelling as a way to connect the present to past lessons and future dreaming. Narrative sovereignty is a form of land guardianship, and Nia Tero supports this work through its storytelling initiatives, including the Seedcast podcast, as well as in this column for media partner the South Seattle Emerald.
I started the Native Sharing Garden about four years ago. In the beginning, friends would join me in the dirt, maybe once a month. We would work a bit, share a meal, and share skills the way Indigenous and BIPOC folks do. As time has gone on, more and more of my days are filled like this, and I’m more and more drawn to making plans to do this long-term. This land is so special, and I can say that because, you know, I didn’t create it.
As we transition into fall, the BLOOM Giving Garden at Wa Na Wari is beginning to wrap up the season. The BIPOC-youth-run garden began as a response to COVID-19 and has continued to grow and expand in its second summer.
The garden is a collaboration between Wa Na Wari, Seattle Public Library (SPL), YES Farm, The Black Farmers Collective, and EarthCorps. The project aims to educate and uplift BIPOC youth by fostering food sovereignty and honoring sacred land and Indigenous practices whilst building community. Eight fellows have been selected to run the garden through their involvement with farm-related programs.
C. Davida Ingram, a Wa Na Wari partner and SPL public engagement employee, teamed up with Hannah Wilson from YES Farms and came to Wa Na Wari with the idea for a garden.
“Our goal is to look at the environment that Communities of Color look in, live in, and to look at it through the lens of creativity,” Ingram said. “At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a spotlight on economics. People were losing their housing and also people were running out of food. And because Seattle is such an incredible space for conversations around food justice and food sovereignty, we reached out to Wa Na Wari and said, ‘Would you be interested in creating a space where people could learn about food sovereignty and also would you be open to creating space for community gardening?’ And they said ‘yes.’”
On Saturday, Sept. 4, the grassroots-led Black Star Farmers (BSF) organized a volunteer-led garden day at the New Holly Rockery Community Garden and Market Garden. Since their inception last year at CHOP during the Black Lives Matter protests, BSF has been connecting to local gardens to help communities efficiently harvest their own produce and prepare beds for gardening.
“Ideally, the vision is for folks in this area to not only be helping but also be receiving the food from the garden,” Marcus Henderson of BSF said.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Mayor Jenny Durkan announcing the vaccination site closures at the Rainier Beach location at Be’er Sheva Park. (Photo: Jack Russillo)
COVID-19 South Seattle College Vaccination Event, Seattle Vaccine Hub Updates, & King County Masking Directive
Community Vaccination Event at South Seattle College — From the host: “The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, in collaboration with Fred Hutch and Public Health of Seattle & King County, will hold a COVID-19 Community Vaccination Event at South Seattle College’s Brockey Center on Thursday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered at no cost to anyone 18 years and older.
“The vaccination event will be held on the South Seattle College’s Main Campus, located at 6000 16th Ave S.W., West Seattle, 98106. Visitors should enter campus at Entry 3 off 16th Ave S.W. and park in the South Parking Lot (parking is free). After parking, signs will direct visitors to the Jerry Brockey Center (JMB) for vaccination. Please view our campus map for more detail.
“Participants are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance at https://COVID19-vaccinessc.rsvpify.com/. Limited walk-up appointments will also be available.
“Public Health Considerations: In alignment with State of Washington Higher Education guidance, please wear a face mask while on campus and maintain social distancing of six feet when possible. Seattle Cancer Care Alliance will perform a health screening with each individual before they are permitted to enter the Brockey Center for vaccination.”
Almost 40 years ago, Tilth Alliance’s plant sale was a modest affair, meant for just a few people in the neighborhood to share and discover varieties of decorative and edible plants.
Now, the nonprofit organic gardening and urban ecology organization’s annual plant sale has grown to become the largest in the region — a massive affair of lush greenery and silky flowers of different native plants spilling over the sides of pots and containers. The plant sale usually takes place at The Good Shepherd Center in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle but last year took place online, due to the pandemic. This year will see a return to an in-person event with limited capacity. The sale will take place from May 7–14 at Tilth Alliance’s urban garden space tucked away just off South Cloverdale Street in South Seattle.
The Danny Woo Garden Show is a new weekly show livestreamed on Facebook that teaches preschool- and kindergarten-age kids how to grow their own vegetables while learning about plants, science, and culture.The interactive show, which launched August 26, is filmed live from the Danny Woo Community Garden every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Garden volunteers host games and present lessons on plant and animal life cycles (like chickens). Kids and their families are encouraged to type comments and questions in the chat during the show.
Despite the spitting rain and smoky conditions, a few hardy souls gathered outside The Beet Box in South Seattle Saturday for a free permaculture class. Tugging down her mask to speak, South Seattle resident and class participant Naomi Cooper said she was there to help give back to the community.
