Degree
tbd ’19
From backyard gardens to community gardens with an emphasis on faith and connections, the act of tilling the earth is about more than plants or food. As a member of the research team for Sowers and Reapers, a Bass Connections project, I’ve learned that what’s most important about growing things in Durham is the humans who make meaning out of the soil.
As part of our year-long project we’ve heard from many speakers about how they see cultivating the earth. This is especially important in a time of climate change, when even local plots are changing because of shifting weather patterns. We’ve also partnered with three gardening groups and interviewed members about how their connections to growing things.
I’ve repeatedly heard the word LISTEN. Gardeners listen not only to the seasons, but to their neighbors, families and communities. For many, gardening is a way to connect to the past and honor ancestors. For others, it’s an investment in the next generations.
As my fellow student, Matthew Sima, says, “Wicked issues such as climate change and environmental justice oftentimes become larger-than-life after their portrayal in the media and it is hard for people to correlate with and understand them. For us, oral histories provide an intimate personal aspect to these problems and allow us to witness individuals actively combating or dealing with these issues in our own communities.”
Durham’s explosive growth and increase in overall income have heightened concerns about social and environmental injustice. Gentrification and tax increases are marginalizing some while the history of Durham is being built over with new condos and shops. Gardeners who have lived here for decades are among those still nurturing history as well as community connections for the future.
“You’re never done,” Blossom Garden Club member Bebe Guill told us. “Once you get something, you think, ‘Oh that’s perfect!’ And then, Hurricane Michael comes along. So you just start over. That’s gardening.”
Originally posted on the Duke Human Rights Center website