As I dive deeper into farming here at Anathoth Community Garden, I am getting the opportunity to explore the food system in a way that is very much connected to our own humanity and dignity as people. A chance to grow and process the food I consume has placed me in a position to examine the world around me in a much more in-depth manner. Knowing when to water crops, cultivate the land, plant new vegetation or pull weeds requires precision, focus and patience. It requires a connection to the earth and self that I had not known before. Farming will push your mind, body and soul to new spaces that you have not entered before. I am using my time here at Anathoth to examine the best ways in which I can use food as a medium to build communities that are sustainable, healthy and empowered. Before my time at Anathoth, being from Miami means never stepping foot on a farm, especially not when it’s raining and 36 degrees. Yet, through this as well as my many travels, I have learned to lean into discomfort and embrace the dirt. I now look forward to farming being a part of my lifestyle, because it offers the chance of being more compassionate, as you nurture the life growing around you. Farming, especially for a person of color such as myself has helped me to reclaim my own dignity, and that of my ancestors. “Sankofa”, a word from a tribe in Ghana means “go back and get it”. As I learn more about farming, I see now how much my participation serves to reshape a painful history. I intend to keep growing here; both for myself, the veggies and the people that I will encounter along the way on this journey of food security, community development and social liberation. Happy Holidays, stay woke, eat good food and let it fill you with hope for the future.