Georgia Street Community Garden
Detroit, MI
(courtesy photo)
Welcome to the latest installment of RW&G's Profiles in Victory series, showcasing ordinary folks doing some extraordinary things from which we can all gain inspiration.
This week's profile features Linda, who blogs at Georgia Street Community Garden.
Among the many things I like about Linda's site is the fact that it offers a fresh perspective on Detroit. There's a terrific pride of place in her posts, which also include nice photos. And she's got an authentic voice to boot.
Wouldn't it be great if every community garden had someone like Linda to promote it? And what if every community had gardeners like Cub?
"Wait a second," you wonder,"Who is Cub? I thought this post was about Linda?" Well, read on to find out...
The area around Georgia Street was, at one time, (before 1910) farms. After 1910, when the street was named, it contained an area that was partly attached to Detroit's Poletown and partially in the area called Hamtramck (which was also Polish). Some time in the 1920s, Germans, Poles and Italians occupied the area and it was a neighborhood of mixed ethnicities. It was also lush with trees. Unfortunately, Detroit was hit with Dutch Elm Disease and those trees were taken down. At the same time, Detroit had "white flight" and moved to newer suburbs leaving behind homes that the black community moved into. As times changed, poverty hit and with poverty comes depression and vandalism. Although this area was hard hit and is surrounded by vacant land and a few burnt out homes, there are those who maintain their property meticulously.
Detroit's urban gardening began from necessity, rather than from joy of gardening. The City of Detroit is huge but there are outer areas of the city that have been forgotten. When you have no car and your only nearest shopping is the local Mobil station, this makes for a poor diet. In response, people started farming vacant land and it's grown. The Greening of Detroit is an organization that helps neighborhoods start gardening to feed the communities where they reside and it's snowballing here. Children and adults are becoming involved and it's not only providing nourishment for those in need, it's teaching children to grow food and to care. It's also allowing neighbors to become involved with each other and get to know who's who again.
I've found that most gardens located on vacant lots in Detroit are now watched by the neighborhoods. They care again. These gardens are also open to the homeless. If they're hungry, they're free to eat. Mainstream media only seems to write about murders and rape that take place in Detroit. There is much more to the city than crime, which is everywhere. Detroit has had recessions and depressions from the 1880s up to the present and Detroiters have always found a way of surviving. Since the majority of those living in the city are 90% black, they come from Southern roots and have the knowledge passed down of growing food. The difference is that Detroiters are being allowed to farm vacant land for free by the City. This makes it possible for gardeners to not only feed the poor but also to sell what they grow at Detroit's Eastern Market (which is one of the oldest outdoor farm markets in the US).
Who is Cub? What roles have you both played in creating and promoting the garden?
Cub is one man who resides on Georgia Street within Detroit. Two homes down from his sat four vacant lots filled with junk people dropped there. He got sick of seeing what was left of his neighborhood and went out one day and began picking up the garbage. His plan was to start a community garden and I believe he stated that the neighbors watched and possibly thought he was nuts. Cub is a very large man and he had a really small tiller. He tilled that rock-hard land and posted a few photos on Detroityes.com (a Detroit related community board. Wonderful site!). He posted: "The Start of an Urban Garden." The response to help from those inside and outside Detroit was enormous and we're all proud of this man. People began donating their time and energy to help clear the land and others donated plants, seeds, fruit trees, etc.
Besides starting a garden, Cub has also made a large number of friends across all color lines. It proves that the suburbs and Detroit WANT Detroit to succeed. We want Cub to succeed and we believe he'll probably single-handedly change his neighborhood. I was there one day just to quickly photograph the garden for updates and a neighbor ran to tell Cub someone was in the garden (He knew it was me). It proves that everyone cares about that garden and about his hard work. Cub recently gave a BBQ and a number of members from the Detroityes board came. He's a good man, with a big heart. His mother did a great job. He's asked for nothing in return.
What's the status of the garden for fall? What about long-term plans?
Cub was recently given a $1,000 grant and will probably be building some type of greenhouse. He wants to continue the growing season into the Fall and begin new plantings within the greenhouse for spring. He has no plans on leaving his neighborhood, and there are a few vacant lots around him. I believe he'll be taking over those lots and have gardens up and down the street. By the way, Cub's home is lovely. This is a caring family, giving family. At this point in time, Cub actually represents what the people of Detroit ARE.
I noticed that you also include information about your own home garden as well as the local arts community on your blog. Could you tell us what that you hope to accomplish in cross-pollinating private and public gardening efforts with the visual arts?
Detroit has always been known for "The Big Three." There is much more to Detroit than cars. I incorporate things that I like whether it's music videos on Fridays or movies. I enjoy photography that showcases Detroit, even in its urban setting. There's just something to that when nature reclaims land. The majority of young people moving to Detroit require some type of art - whether it's gardening or clubbing or a night out eating sushi. We all head to Detroit for the mix of it all. And Detroit has always been known for its music, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Wayne State University, the Heidleberg Project, etc. Detroiters, believe it or not, LOVE art. Our most recent upgrade is the Dequindre Cut which was a abandoned railway. It's now been cleaned out with a walking path. What is NOT leaving the Dequindre Cut is the magnificent graffiti taggers have left behind. It's Detroit, after all.
I receive a lot of traffic from young people searching for specific information on Detroit. I hope the younger generation takes an interest in urban gardening. Cub sees a lot of traffic literally driving by his garden. It shows that word is getting out and people are searching.
Urban gardening is interesting.
Especially in a place called Detroit.
***
Thanks, Linda! And be sure to check out her and Cub's work at George Street Community Garden. Take note of the list of things Cub would like to have to improve his garden, which appears on the left column of Linda's site.
Linda's Recommended Reading:
RW&G Recommends: You HAVE to read about the Dequindre Cut here!! VERY cool. And see these pics on Flickr, too.
(Bear with me...Haloscan.com Comments are giving me trouble today. They are only appearing in the "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" section of the right hand column and not with this post. My apologies--but don't let the glitch keep you from posting!)
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