WCP | Three Generations of a Ward 7 Family Find Work and Fulfillment in Urban Farming

July 2, 2019 The Advoc8te

DC UrbanGreens currently grows cucumbers, kale, collard greens, eggplant, zucchini, arugula, tomatoes, and okra with the goal of feeding a segment of the city with few food options. Only three full-service grocery stores exist in wards 7 and 8, and corner stores and carryouts still dominate the food landscape. The organization’s goals go beyond increasing access to healthy food. They also work to empower volunteers and employees from the community and provide educational opportunities and a sense of belonging for visitors. “Growing food is a vehicle for the changes we’re making in the community with people,” Kirkwood says. “We’re not growing food, we’re growing people. They have to have the passion, will, commitment, and work ethic, but you have to build their qualifications.” Parker’s family embodies DC UrbanGreens’ mission. Parker’s son Taboris Robinson and grandson Montell Holland also work with the organization, and all three generations live across the street from the farm, in the Banneker Place Apartments. Before following his mother to DC UrbanGreens three years ago, Robinson held jobs in kitchens and carpentry following a trying stretch in the music industry.

LAURA HAYES, Washington City PAPER