On Friday June 4th 2021, Harlem Grown —a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition— held a ribbon-cutting of their thirteenth site.
This new garden on the property of the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School at 282 West 151st Street was named after Karen Washington, a former social worker who has dedicated her life in teaching urban farming and the importance of healthy eating habits to young children and their parents in the community. In her speech Mrs. Washington thanked those who came before her, those who fought for food justice, social justice, environmental justice and asked the students who were present at the ceremony to feel proud and remember that the food we eat, the tools and methods we use, were started by their ancestors, who brought their knowledge of agriculture to this country.
Tony Hillery, CEO, Harlem Grown, thanked all who participated in the conversion of this abandoned lot to a productive garden and read from his new book “Harlem Grown – How One Big Idea Transformed A Neighborhood” which features real characters from this project, illustrated by Jessie Hartland.
Skyline Restoration is a proud partner of Harlem Grown and supported in building the structure for this new school garden.