This week has been so meaningful! I was able to get my hands dirty doing different kinds of gardening work. I helped out with the weeding, plucking grasses and other weeds out of the permaculture landscape. I was also able to harvest. As an organization, we harvested almost 20 pounds of fresh vegetables, and we donated the harvested vegetables. I felt amazing to be able to see the blooming harvest of permaculture and to personally experience how permaculture affects me as an individual.
Besides doing the gardening work, I was able to communicate with other organizers in the community. Within the building of where Chiwara is located, there are many other community organizers who want to improve the location. They come from various backgrounds and they all have unique ideas about the effects of permaculture in Highland Park and how the integration of permaculture can help to reduce social injustice. I was also fortunate to be able to attend some meetings that gave me a glimpse of how organizations work, how organizers feel about the issues that affected them, and the complexities of working together for a common vision with people from different backgrounds. I am so excited to learn more about this research project!
It is so awesome that this is going on in Highland Park. I have lived in Detroit all my life and I have heard the many negative comments about the Highland Park area. It is good to hear that something positive is going on. These are the things that should be talked about on the news!