Greens not Grass

food security is lookin real different these days… (insert audio recording/video for accessibility)

the grocery store ain´t as safe as we thought it was, and the gap between us and good, healthy food will continue to widen if the systems have their way. California is the ¨breadbasket¨ of the nation, but little of that food reaches Southern California shelves, and what does is less nutritious and healthy than it used to be. On top of that, the drought is still going strong around us, and agricultural policies are not adjusting. We are rapidly depleting our water supplies, growing food for export instead of taking care of our own.

so what to do?

we know the powers that be will not save us, so we must save ourselves.

Greens not Grass is a neighborhood campaign, reflecting an international liberation movement, putting the power to feed ourselves back into our hands, where it belongs. we are a community campaign focused on helping our people while helping the planet.

Our goal is to replace useless, water-sucking lawns with edible, nutritious and native plant species, creating healthy, happy lands that support healthy, happy communities. urban gardening is on the rise around the U.S., because we are tired of relying on others to take care of us. we are tired of supply chain shortages, and soil depletion, and prices rising wildly out of control. we are tired of not knowing where our food is coming from, tired of our children being malnourished and obese, tired of high blood pressure and the sugars from food that is grown with pesticides, grown by hands that are not cared for on land that is tired and depleted. we are tired of the bullshit, and we are fighting back every way we know how.

From Detroit to New Orleans to the Bay, Black folks are taking back our foodways, teaming up with other Indigenous people, and recreating food and freedom on land. We are rebuilding strategies for a better way of life, creating a future in our image. and we want you to join us.

As Black folks, we have a complicated history with the land. We have been forced to toil for so long, for the sake of White folks, for the sake of capitalism, for the sake of systems who don’t care about us. But there is another story.

There is a long and beautiful story, of rice fields, of okra, of watermelon and fish peppers, of black eyed peas, of yams and sweet potatoes and love. There are stories of indigo, stories of hibiscus sorrel, of raffia palms and love and coconuts falling on soft sand. We have so many stories, in our sweet Motherland of Mama Africa. And we have so many stories here, in communities that have thrived and loved on land despite the terror we have faced for hundreds of years. 

We are a strong people. We are a resilient people. And a strong and resilient people must take care of themselves. Of their communities. A strong people must be able to feed themselves.

We have grown in deep relationship to plants and animals for hundreds of thousands of years. We are more than capable of rebuilding those relationships, even here in the heart of LA. And it all begins with a seed.

The Campaign

The Greens not Grass campaign encourages folks to do a number of things to engage more deeply in the process of healing the land and healing the community. We want to highlight ways to help yourself and your family, to take care of your community by planting seeds, by tending to each other, and by sharing your harvest with the next generation.

• start growing! a few plants in a bucket, or an air plant indoors! it´s now legal for you to plant in the sidewalk strip in front of your spot, so put plants there! It´s important for us to grow native plant species, that are used to low water environments, and support local pollenators. It’s also super important for us to grow our own food! Join the South LA Seed Circle and learn more about growing your own food and saving your own seed!

• Teach your children about the importance of plants, the Earth, and agriculture! Black folks have lost over 90% of our farmland in less than 100 years; food is the future and we have no say in our own. Teach the next generation where their food comes from, and support your children in their love of the outdoors!

• Nationwide, we waste over 9 billion gallons of water on our lawns. grass is thirstier than any edible plant we grow. in Southern California especially, we just don´t have that water to waste. replace lawns with low-water native plant gardens, edible plants, or a combination. You can start with a small strip of your lawn, or commit your whole front of back yard! There are also places like LA Green Grounds and LA Crop Swap that help with garden installation, and so do we! Just reach out. :)

• plant drought-tolerant foods, like California red onion, Hopi blue corn, lentils, or other plants used to low water conditions. (list coming soon!)

• shop at local grocery stores that support hyperlocal farmers, like Village Marketplace or the Crenshaw Farmers´ Market, and get your seeds from local places like Walquaqsh Native Plants and the Inglewood Public Library (which has a seed library that we also donate to!)

• Join local growing/gardening clubs, like South Central Growers and Harvesters Network or our South LA Seed Circle!

• educate yourself on food, land, and water usage (workshops coming soon)

• Be more serious about water conservation (tips incoming)

So here is my seed that I’ve brought to the community. I hope you plant her, and she grows strong and inspires you to join us as we plant even more seeds, around our blocks, around our hoods, and around our communities. Our first mothers are the trees. Our first sisters the bees. We owe them more respect. We owe ourselves more respect. 

Happy Planting!