Crack Sugar, Keeping the Vibes up, & Preservative Education

Peace to the Earth cultivators, to the producers in general, and to everyone taking the time to glimpse into this space. It has been about 3 weeks since I've written in this blog. And in that time, I lost my cell phone (which contained a bunch of photo and video content from this summer - so freakin bummed! ), but in the midst of that the work has been on the up and up despite challenges and being transitional in housing, mixed all in with the moon energy....in short, I'm grateful for the simple fact of still being here....

There are many that have not made it to this day, yet I'm here and progressing, and exploring with care the different layers of my many experiences on this path. The youth I've been working with are mad clutch, and inspire and teach me so much...its crazy we only have one more week left...

In the realm of Urban Ag and youth work this week, it has been a very productive.....ok before getting into that, I must say urban life is a trip because you can experience so many extreme sides of a spectrum in such a short period of time sometimes in the span of a day or hours, but its really kinda hard to process and share sometimes without rambling on for hours about all of the details. So it must have been a good thing that I took this break from writing. With that said, there are some important things I'd like to touch on in this blog as a public record of my thoughts, experiences, and views as a woman of color actively engaging myself, youth, and community in cultivating the earth through health consciousness and social and systematic understanding of the many aspects of the foodscapes we find ourselves in.

Something I find very compelling to touch on is the way that in the society we find ourselves in we "pick our poison". Things like cigarettes, alcohol, hard drugs etc are extremely frowned upon, but realistically there are so many toxic equivalents, items that folks carelessly pick up from the corner store (I grew up on it too) without an inkling of comparing the product to anything like crack cocaine. I mean just sugar period, this societal addiction is directly connected to historic oppression and certainly associated with trauma in our genetic memory. I had quite the alarming experience with a youth this past week, whom (like many of the other kids) likes to indulge in these drinks called Tropical fantasy, which are basically bootleg juices that imitate fruit flavors but is really just a bottle of sugar. He added about 4 cups of sugar to his empty bottle which he added lemonade to - and I had to like really go out of my way to make him throw it out. I mean I was genuinely terrified to sit back and watch him take back that much white sugar in one sitting. Though he may quite possibly consumed this much sugar in one sitting before, I felt like I was stopping someone from taking a hit of crack. I mena I was genuinely concerned. ( OK, I know its not illegal to stuff your face with sugar, but my reasoning was that if we're in a work environment to learn about sustainable eating and improving our nutrition, then there really should be some mindfulness attached; on another note I also believe that there should be regulated legal limits to how much sugar we are exposed to in consumer products).

It can get complicated...... Supply Vs Demand in an addicted society. But it doesn't always have to be. I like many other folks , made a conscious transition (about 10 years now) to a more wholistic vegetarian lifestyle after reading "Afrikan Holistic Health" by Dr Laila Afrika - and it has (and continues to be) one very long and one with deep levels and stages of a cleansing process. This book speaks about nutrition and the effects of consumer food experimentation in products from an African centered perspective (i.e. that in some cases Afrikan nutritional needs are not always the same for other ethnicities - and even with that said, also amongst our own melted potted selves) and linking it with systematic oppression.  It is a great book to check out, but I encourage you to definitely be good to yourself, because food is such a cultural and intimate process, and its not something to snatch out of someones life in a hurry (find your rhythm).

In the beginning of the book, he speaks about "The Overlooked Revolution" which is basically approaching liberation systems and self determination as intrinsically connected to what we put into our bodies. Think about it: one of the Black Panther Party's most successful programs that took root was the school lunch program (i.e. feeding people) which still exists to this DAY. That's something to take a deeper look at...

PRESERVATIVE EDUCATION

 I did a lesson this afternoon on preservatives and some of the side effects of very commonly used substances like red 40, sodium benzoate, high fructose corn syrup, and more. The onslaught of these substances which occurred in the last few decades, has totally changed the "food" game. Each student researched 2 of the preservatives that they listed from an investigation we did at Save-A-Lot the previous Friday and their side effects. These substances (preservatives) are categorized by the FDA as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) - meaning they don't actually know what the long term side effects are. There have been case studies though that have shown, (with the use of placebos to ensure accuracy) that  common side effects are hyperactivity, inability to focus, irritability, depression, aggression, ADHD, and in some cases directly linked to cancer (but time will surely tell, its still pretty new).

Can a major source of oppression become anymore obvious? I always tell the youth that I'm not talking about these things to depress them, because I can see it in them -  they are so bright and wise beyond their years having seen so much already. I see the effect that the constant bad news in the media and in our community has on them. I am mindful about reminding them that this is exactly why having the skills of cultivating food, taking the time to read nutrition labels, and believing that you have the tools within to make things happen, is a very easy way to sidestep the time bombs so much a part of the daily industrialized consumer paradigm. We make it as functional as possible.


With that said, there will be footage posted soon of last Friday at The Reginald F Lewis Museum, myself and a youth were interviewed for WYPR about our reactions to the African American history Exhibit (should be airing in mid august). Later that afternoon, I was interviewed with the Boone St Farm manager Cheryl by Baltimore magazine to talk about the YouthWorks program and our projects and triumphs this year.

Drink Lots of Water & Be Good To Yourself :)

Link to interview with Baltimore Magazine is here.

Lotus- Biko got in the garden this weekend too <3

The Earthy Nutritionist

Reflections on Planting Seeds of Vibrational Shifts

Working with a group through YouthWorks has been a little bit eyebrow raising so far this year. It's not my first time working with kids through them, but for some reason this year the youth still do not have their bus passes and its basically the end of the first week. Not only that, there are strict rules and conditions surrounding the summer job that if they miss more than 2 days consecutively then they are kicked out. This creates a dilemma. It is unfair because a couple of the kids have had obstacles getting to the program  - and have had to get help from others in the group (which is fine but really not cool because the cost of the bus passes are going to be taken out of their paychecks anyway). Last year this wasn't the case, all passes were paid ahead of time but things have fell behind a bit this time around.

 

Just some of the surface level observations on the reality of working hands on with youth within an institutional structure, and doing this work to begin with that is designed intrinsically to shift paradigms - beyond what we've been "given". Its all steps, and another layer to the onion I suppose.....I give thanks for the opportunity and the activation that I'm already witnessing..

Designing and Building A Native Meadow.......

We completed the weeding of a section of the farm that will become a native meadow and serve to support a healthy ecosystem for pollinators, beneficial organisms, and for the people as a beautiful sight for the neighborhood to enjoy. There is a very special energy at the farm, an oasis amidst the urban noise. The kids were so serious about making sure that everything was neat and the alley was very clean after they finished weeding (even picking up additional trash that was left in the alley). We layed down tarp over the weeded areas to promote "solarization" which is just a fancy way of saying we were killing the weeds by putting plastic over them so that it would intensify the suns rays onto them and kill them rapidly in a matter of days. We then planted some annuals and perennials (echinacea, nicotinia, Black Eyed Susans, etc)  in one part of our bed that was ready for transplants.

 

Conversations in the Garden: Talks about the Uprising of last year...

We got into a conversation about where we all were around the time that the Freddie Gray incident happened in Baltimore, and the sorts of things that they were thinking about at the time. I was mostly listener.  What I heard was that the overall feeling was anxiety and a feeling of being cornered in by the authorities. Without going into too much detail here, I heard some stories of resilience and courage in the face of being abused and attempts at being contained in an environment that was NOT safe to stay at the time (references to the MTA shutdowns and being stranded at school or by Mondawmin)

Throughout the day there were various rises and peaks and depths being explored, all in an overall light hearted spirit and energetically met with reminders at times to tread softly into the ground zero of the fertile minds and experiences of these amazing youth.

Creating Safe Space & Confronting the Painful Structures of our Realities....

In my next post I will delve more in depth about our food justice lesson plans, and address some of the social politics in navigating the Urban Ag "scene" as a person of color. Negotiating culture as well as the intersections with gentrification in urban life.

Peace & Power thank you for reading, I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all.

Nicola

Reflections on Planting Seeds of Vibrational Shifts

Working with a group through YouthWorks has been a little bit eyebrow raising so far this year. It's not my first time working with kids through them, but for some reason this year the youth still do not have their bus passes and its basically the end of the first week. Not only that, there are strict rules and conditions surrounding the summer job that if they miss more than 2 days consecutively then they are kicked out. This creates a dilemma. It is unfair because a couple of the kids have had obstacles getting to the program  - and have had to get help from others in the group (which is fine but really not cool because the cost of the bus passes are going to be taken out of their paychecks anyway). Last year this wasn't the case, all passes were paid ahead of time but things have fell behind a bit this time around.

 

Just some of the surface level observations on the reality of working hands on with youth within an institutional structure, and doing this work to begin with that is designed intrinsically to shift paradigms - beyond what we've been "given". Its all steps, and another layer to the onion I suppose.....I give thanks for the opportunity and the activation that I'm already witnessing..

Designing and Building A Native Meadow.......

We completed the weeding of a section of the farm that will become a native meadow and serve to support a healthy ecosystem for pollinators, beneficial organisms, and for the people as a beautiful sight for the neighborhood to enjoy. There is a very special energy at the farm, an oasis amidst the urban noise. The kids were so serious about making sure that everything was neat and the alley was very clean after they finished weeding (even picking up additional trash that was left in the alley). We layed down tarp over the weeded areas to promote "solarization" which is just a fancy way of saying we were killing the weeds by putting plastic over them so that it would intensify the suns rays onto them and kill them rapidly in a matter of days. We then planted some annuals and perennials (echinacea, nicotinia, Black Eyed Susans, etc)  in one part of our bed that was ready for transplants.

 

Conversations in the Garden: Talks about the Uprising of last year...

We got into a conversation about where we all were around the time that the Freddie Gray incident happened in Baltimore, and the sorts of things that they were thinking about at the time. I was mostly listener.  What I heard was that the overall feeling was anxiety and a feeling of being cornered in by the authorities. Without going into too much detail here, I heard some stories of resilience and courage in the face of being abused and attempts at being contained in an environment that was NOT safe to stay at the time (references to the MTA shutdowns and being stranded at school or by Mondawmin)

Throughout the day there were various rises and peaks and depths being explored, all in an overall light hearted spirit and energetically met with reminders at times to tread softly into the ground zero of the fertile minds and experiences of these amazing youth.

Creating Safe Space & Confronting the Painful Structures of our Realities....

In my next post I will delve more in depth about our food justice lesson plans, and address some of the social politics in navigating the Urban Ag "scene" as a person of color. Negotiating culture as well as the intersections with gentrification in urban life.

Peace & Power thank you for reading, I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all.

Nicola

Spirit to the Sky, Feet on the Soil With the People

SPIRIT TO THE SKY...

After a long and probably much needed hiatus from having my hands directly in the soil ( its been 2 seasons), to process, digest, and rediscover my purpose in this place - I am back doing youth development work and planting seeds of the food justice movement in young minds alongside those aligned in my path at this time.

Ive dabbled in filmmaking, cofounded a garden at a HBCU  that has been declared a national treasure to (in no particular order) becoming a mother.....while continuing to navigate the Baltimore cultural arts scene as a dancer, a poet, a happenstantial muse (not always to my fancy). I had to put everything down for a hot minute....

I have found myself in a 360 moment. Reactivated. Clear once more..

Sometimes it is crazy to reflect on just how divinely timed things actually are. We as people tend to push and pull and fight to go this and "supposed to be" that way, to produce this item and that item (similar in echo to the industrial agricultural system) that ends up in result polluting our waters, land, exploiting our synergistic relationships with all the life that is around us- yet even still when we ask ourselves the question: am I happy? We find ourselves staring into that same deep void that moved us to enmesh ourselves in activism and community building, projects, etc to begin with (unhealthy cycles).

I felt at a loss. This seed planted in my spirit years ago, urging me, invigorating me to highlight Baltimore's very unique yet similarly designed food system that we see in many other urban centers across the country through film, through community institutions, through curriculum and planning, visioning, and building relationships galore, all the while witnessing how they shifted and changed form constantly just trying to make sense of it all.

 The energy was surely all there, and those around me knew and felt it. But the structure... the "bullet points" the concise framework through which this vision was meant to be shared with folks in a way that could be universally understood just wasn't coming into view, and it blended with all the other things going on with me personally, and on the global level- struggling to maintain focus....

So I decided to let the struggle go.

Much like a seed that you would plant in the soil, this seed had its phases to go through. Its been 2 years since I posted in this blog and my seeds have finally taken root and sprouted. They have grown leaves and a foundation of their own, and they have recently called to me "we are ready to be transplanted now" as I stare into the big brown eyes of my robust solid creation of a child.

wow, the synergy of nature is really something to marvel at.

So here I am, back at it here in the city, I'm working with 5 amazing and extremely talented youth as an Education & Outreach Coordinator through the YouthWorks program at Boone St Farm and we are getting into it (oh, and filming too).

So let "the earthy nutritionist" let it unfold, lets get into it and talk about it:

- Our African Agricultural Roots: We are the foundation of this countries sustenance, nurturance, and wisdom. How can we authentically reactivate the wisdom of the land that's in our DNA to embody self determination?

- Confronting Stigma:  Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and the traumatic genetic memory associated with our agricultural history in the Diaspora

- Food, Nutrition, & Exploration: OH, just being a foodie and making bliss activating meals... and exploring the unique and diverse history of Baltimore City Food and Cultural Activist Past & Present (let us learn from your expertise)

Feet on the Soil with the People:

There is a lot of pain and trauma amidst in the city right now. The killing game has become like cultural entertainment from the way its talked in local media, bumping right into to the shockwaves that it sends through families, individuals, and our healing community.

But we are still here.

If you are reading this you are still here, and guess what: we still got the juice and they are still thirsty for it.

I encourage all to be focused on the unique work that it is that you do, and know that it matters, and that it IS actually changing our collective biosphere (no western cultural validation needed).

It is psychological terrorism the ways that we are urged to rage in reaction and hurt ourselves and generations through our actions to the despicable cycles outside of an individuals control. This is a summer of great rise and beautiful manifestation. <3

I also welcome you to continue on my journey with me, whether you've known me for years or are first being introduced through this blog post. I am grateful beyond words to be who I am where I am, and even....where Ive been.

When we walk on the dirt whether it be out on a trail or next to the cemented pavement. II invite you to think about who else walked on that dirt, and what it took for that particular space to be preserved admist the machines surrounding it. Also remember the blood sweat and tears that it took for your existence to even be possible right here, right now.

We are having this experience, might as well enjoy it right?

 I mean really, stress is bad for the body and it wont make you look too cute over time. No shade to those that do choose that route, but each day we have a choice to make and I invite the energy of this post to enliven that uplifting one that is the light of your spirit. Many of you have done this for me, whether intentional or unintentionally, and I thank you for that. Keep it coming.

Baltimore City

 - A cosmic treasure internationally known to many, too commonly unappreciated to those that call this place home.

 Charge your crystals and tune into this shift that elevates our hearts to the knowingness of this: your safety, your fulfillment, and your peace daily.

Each day that we have to make this choice can make all those days that we didnt make that choice, seem like a flash of a shadow on a wall, gone.

Happy Summer Solstice & I hope you enjoy the posts to follow on the way that this process unfolds in this work.

Peace, Love, & Light

Nicola Uatuva
June 28, 2016