For more information, call Seamus Ford 312-213-7824
Sheree Blakemore (312) 404-3180
www.root-riot.com
Community Garden movement reaches Chicago’s West Side with Sunday dedication
The Austin community will dedicate its newest community garden in a ceremony 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at 500 N. Waller Street in Chicago.
More than 40 urban gardeners from the west side of Chicago and Oak Park joined together as “Root Riot Harambee” for the first time to plant vegetables together, learn about gardening and strengthen their community. The community garden movement has grown across the country as a response to people’s desire to grow their own food, as a way of strengthening neighborhoods, and in response to the economic times. The example was set at the White House early this spring when Michelle Obama helped spur interest in community gardening when she organized a group to plant a garden at the White House.
The Root Riot Harambee garden is a partnership between Root Riot, Youth Guidance, and the students and faculty of Fredrick Douglas Academy High School. The garden connects students, faculty, neighbors, church-goers and gardeners in ways that are both tangible and life changing. One hope is that neighbors know each other, look out for each other and feel safer. The project brings other benefits, such as exercise, healthy food, an educational outdoor experience, and jobs. It also teaches self-reliance, and gives people the vital feeling of taking care of themselves and their neighbors.
Neighbors rent plots for $40 a year, or $100 for three years, on a lot loaned by a local developer. The plots sold out in a couple of weeks and most of the plot owners are first time gardeners. Gardening coaches help to teach the uninitiated how to plant, tend and grow crops. Workshops continue to be held on subjects such as soil health, controlling bugs and weeds without toxic chemicals and even raising chickens. In the past several weeks garners have begun harvesting cucumbers, green beans, Swiss chard, tomatoes and other vegetables.
Growing food is just one part of Root Riot. The recession has put 9 million people out of work, and unemployment has skyrocketed among youth and minorities to levels reminiscent of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Working with community partners, Root Riot and Youth Guidance have helped provide meaningful paid employment to teenagers and young adults. With grants from “Put Illinois to Work”, Youth Guidance and the Douglass Academy students have worked this summer to help build, promote operate the garden. The youths have also raised money, talked to neighbors to recruit more gardeners and discuss the projects with the general public.
Root Riot Harambee has received extensive community support from a variety of sources, including 29th Ward Alderman Deborah Graham, Cook County Commissioner Earlene Collins and US Congressman Danny K. Davis, the Public Works Department of Oak Park and Heartland Alliance.
More information at www.Root-Riot.com
About Root Riot
Root Riot is an open organization dedicated to creating opportunities for people to learn and discover the joys of growing their own food. We are a continually expanding network of community gardens and education resources that raise the “food consciousness” of our local communities and the public at large. Recognizing the impact of the economic and environmental changes that are underway, we work in partnership with local businesses and experts to create hands on opportunities for people to grow their own food in their own communities. Our hope is that by doing so we deepen people’s sense of belonging in their community and strengthen the resilience of our society as a whole.
We place our greatest emphasis on community education and social connection. We bring people together across generations, economics, and ethnicity to work together creates something new. We apply the best practices of community organization and business development to get the job done and teach others how to get the job done.
With two locations as our starting point, we are building growing network of urban gardens as a conduit for sharing, learning, teaching and communication. A second garden is located at 838 W Madison in Oak Park.
Ellen Dunham-Jones speaks at a Ted Conference on re-thinking suburbia in a post fosil fuel world. This is a facinating and optimistic look into a possible future. While some would argue that the suburban model of development is a dead end and a future wasteland, Dunham proposes a possible future an urban lifestyle in the burbs. 
The Oil Spill Simplified
For those of you who have been following the progress of Root Riot. Here is an update on the recent activity at the Harambee location.
Garden Beds Are open for business
After tomorrow afternoon all of the original 28 beds should be filled with dirt and will be ready for planting. (If you are chomping at the bit, you are welcome to go and get a shovel and complete filling your bed before hand. Also Dean has completed setting up water and there is now a hose that can run to any bed on the lot.
Workdays on Saturday and Sunday
Dean and Kristine Nickerson have generously taken on running two workdays this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. As Dean indicated in his email, people will be gathering at 2pm both days to continue spreading mulch and setting up the other 5 beds that are not yet complete. In addition, funds permitting we are going to be bringing some additional soil to the location to place on top of geo textile for the students to farm in directly.
We got additional media coverage
http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark365/2010/05/may_24_2010_-_root_riot.html
Also , in case you missed it, here is the radio show where we got interviewed about Harambee
http://www.mikenowak.net/podcasts.htm it is in the last half hour of the program from May 15th.
You can also click this link and listen to the last 20 minutes of the broadcast. http://www.mikenowak.net/Growing%20in%20Austin%20Website%20Cut.mp3
In the next week or so, we expect Cassandra West’s article about us to come out on www.seedingchicago.com
Updates to the Root-Riot Website www.root-riot.com There are now all kinds of information resources up on the website. (Thank you Louise and Sandra) We have done and are going to be doing more and more updates to the website.
Community meeting 5/27
We had a wonderful community meeting tonight at the highschool. There were a several people from the community who came in to join us and they were very impressed. This included the dean of students at Douglass academy Mr. Key. Our students fully participated in the meeting and shared how much they are looking forward to participating this summer. We have set up a team of students including Ivory Hudson who will be developing our film series this summer. We are planning on showing two films a month followed by open discussions . The super cool part is that we are going to train the students to moderate the discussions!! Shhhh. They don’t know that yet. 
Summer Jobs Program is a GO!
We were successful in getting funding for the summer jobs program for all the root riot locations. So far we have secured funding for students between the ages of 18 and 22. We are working on the project for 16 and 17 year olds. Please keep that in your prayers this week. There are all kinds of things that we will be creating as part of the jobs program that I will be sharing with you next week.
Seedlings!! Now is the time to plant!
As we said earlier, we have collected all of the seedlings that were left over after the give away on Wednesday night. Thank you to Sheila, Glen, Kristine and Dean for helping to bring them all back. They are presently at Dean and Kristine Nickerson’s house and will be available for pick up on Saturday and Sunday.
Doin Time!
If you have not taken the opportunity to do some of the communal work on the common aspects of the garden, please consider doing so this weekend. Even if you not able to do any of the physical work, your presence does make a difference and you never know what new opportunities may happen as a result.
See you out there!!
