We’re excited to share our first Rooted Stories! Through Rooted Stories, we’re highlighting the people who’ve helped shape Urban Roots and the powerful moments that remind us why this work matters, now more than ever. To start, we sat down with one of our longtime leaders, who’s been part of Urban Roots for more than a decade, to talk about what keeps us grounded, what’s at stake, and what’s possible when we grow together. Each story in this series reminds us that Urban Roots is more than a farm, it’s a place where young people grow into leaders, and where our community grows stronger together.
After a decade with Urban Roots, what moments remind you of why this work matters.
When I talk with them during drop off at the end of the day I’m reminded that the experiences they have are so unusual compared to the rest of their lives – they participate in agriculture, cooking, and food access work, but at a deeper level they are building community with people they might not have spent time with otherwise, and they are leading in ways not normally given to people their age. [These experiences] are needed more than ever. We all need authentic experiences with others to learn who we are and what we are capable of. [And] there is no time when we need those opportunities more than we do as teenagers when we discover ourselves in a new way.
Urban Roots has faced challenges before. What keeps you hopeful and grounded in our mission?
I stay hopeful because I’m not in this alone. So many people believe in this work and want it to continue. That brings me back to my belief in the holiness of this work – in creating spaces for young people to grow into the best version of themselves, stewarding land to feed our neighbors, and inviting the community to be part of that work with us. The work is good, and we move it forward season by season, person by person, day to day – we must keep planting, tending the soil, and reaching out to each other.
What would you say to our community about what’s at stake, and what is possible when we grow togethe
Losing Urban Roots would have an immediate impact on our community – for the young people in our programs, for families that receive the food we grow, for volunteers who come to connect with the land and with each other – that alone is worth fighting for. It’s also bigger than that. Many nonprofits across the country are in a similar [financial] place as we are in. This is an opportunity to speak up, to be clear about what we value and what we want in our community. Doing that will certainly make the difference for Urban Roots, but it will also make the difference for each of us. [Speaking up] helps us be more like the people we want to be, and it will help our community be more like the one we are fighting for.
