On June 12, 2021 from 12-2 PM, The Garden Of Resilience will host an event celebrating the milestone of providing a green space that highlights all the assets of the tri-community of Springfield Gardens, Rosedale and Laurelton. The students of local Laurelton schools identified an abandoned lot three years ago and implemented a social action project to convert the space into a community garden. Petitions were filled out by local residents, support was garnered by the local city council and community board. In late February 2020, The Garden Of Resilience signed it’s contract with Greenthumb, to become the 1st community garden in the neighborhoods of Laurelton, Rosedale & Springfield Gardens.
To move an abandoned lot for over twenty years into a community garden is no easy feat and serves as an act of resistance. Resistance to the notion of showing there are individuals and collectives that care about social change in their communities. For four years, Operation Clean Up served as one of the first community initiatives to address the issue of a cleaner environment in communities of color, building camaraderie amongst neighbors and tearing down the stereotype that communities of color do not want change. Over 50 volunteers would show up monthly during the clean up season to better their communities. The initiative served as the inspiration for the pursuit of The Garden Of Resilience and was the prime example shown to youth that people that look like them can make change in their communities.
Over the past year, local community members living within a three block radius of the garden have exemplified the same example provided by Operation Clean Up. SEQ Clean Up, an initiative started by Karyn Lawson organized a clean up of the garden in the midst of the pandemic. Linda Derry, a local teen organized a seed giveaway event to address the issues of food insecurity. Neighbors Mr. Sal & Diane Dixon have provided plants and sweat equity into the garden to preserve its beauty and promote health.
Garden Of Resilience has garnered support from the Project Petals Foundation, NYC Green Fund and DIVAS for Social Justice has been awarded a national grant to develop a green civics curriculum for the garden. Recently, the non-profit Heartshare and the company National Grid have organized volunteer days with the community garden.
Through the Cultural Immigrant Initiative, Garden Of Resilience is proud to highlight the initiatives of Yvonne Shortt and Jason Harris. Shortt will unveil a community sculpture in the line of her Afro-Pick Series inspired by the voices of children of the Afro-Caribbean Diaspora. Harris will unveil his implementation of bringing hydroponics to the tri-community by building with the students of P.S 132 and using solar panels to power the initiative.
