A new community garden opened on 19th Street. The garden is being coordinated by People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), who have been working with several refugees from Burma to develop this vacant lot into the pictures you see above. Ten Burmese families will each have their own plot to cultivate with whatever they choose. I spoke to a gentleman named Za, who is a refugee from Burma and who spent time in a Burmese prison before coming to America. I wished him success on his garden and he said that it was what he dreamed of when he was in prison--having land he could cultivate. It made me think of Nelson Mandela's story in his autobiography about how, in his final years of imprisonment, he was able to garden. It was basically what helped him get through the last difficult years before he finally became free. I think both of these stories say something about how essentially human it is to want to grow things.
This will also create economical, fresh local food for other residents on 19th Street. At yesterday's ceremonial planting a young family planted okra and broccoli. More vegetables, including some traditional elements of Burmese cooking, will be added soon.
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