How to Keep it Going: Sowing Seeds for Gardens of Tomorrow

Join us for a special screening of the CCGA Legacy Gardener Film Project on May 22, from 5-8 pm in the Jensen Room of the Garfield Park Conservatory. Through the Legacy Gardener Project, the Chicago Community Gardeners Association captures the rich and living histories of outstanding community gardeners who have tirelessly provided guidance to many while helping community members build relationships with each other and the land. Their own journeys from rural farms to Chicago's sidewalks and blocks are the stories we cherish. As their habits have become traditions, their traditions have become their legacies.

You are also encouraged to visit the exhibit “Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive” on display in the Community Room until June 21. This project visualizes the history of Garfield Park through a citizen archive built in collaboration with residents. The resulting archive invites you to learn more about the Garfield Park neighborhood through the photographs and stories of those who spent their time there.

To build a legacy is to plant seeds in a garden that will bloom far beyond our years. To build a legacy is to tend and to nourish our communities by preparing them for seasons beyond what we'll sow. We invite you to be rooted, literally and physically in your communities, by meeting some of our living legacies and learning their stories.

At 6pm, we’ll screen all three Legacy Gardener short films. First, you'll meet Ms. Erma Purnell of New Horizon’s Garden and Ms. Doretha Penn of Crystal’s Peace Garden. Then we’ll share our newest film highlighting Juline McClinton of Peace in the Valley, just one of five gardens she’s tended. Together, these three short films capture a tapestry of wisdom and rich history that inspires us in our own community gardens and lives. Following the screenings, we’ll hear from those who have known our legacy gardeners in a moderated conversation, "How They Kept It Going."

The Legacy Gardener Film Project is the work of CCGA’s Education Committee, who greatly appreciates the energy that the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance planning team has given to the project over the last couple of months.

Meet the panelists

Celeste Kennel-Shank Groff has assisted Ms. Erma Purnell, a legacy gardener, in coordinating New Horizons Garden since 2011. The garden is a ministry of First Church of the Brethren in East Garfield Park. She is a graduate of DC Public Schools, Goshen College, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, and author of What You Sow Is a Bare Seed: A Countercultural Christian Community during Five Decades of Change.

Gina Jamison is President of the Garfield Park Advisory Council (GarfieldPAC) and serves on their Health and Wellness Committee. Gina is a steward of Kuumba Tre Ahm Community Garden where through her perseverance, property belonging to her grandfather became a community garden named after her grandchildren Trevon and Ahmari. There Gina coordinates garden programming for children and adults while providing a supply of fresh produce for the surrounding neighborhood through the Garfield Park Neighborhood Market. She serves on several boards including Best Babies Zone, United to Preserve Affordability and Sustainability in Garfield Park, Sunflower City, and Limes Smiles for Miles. Gina is an active member of the Garfield Park Garden Network, Garfield Park, Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative and the Garfield Park Community Council (GPCC).

Dr. Shemuel Israel has been President of North Lawndale Greening Committee since 2009. NLGC is a public charity that seeks the improvement of the North Lawndale Community through gardening, beautification, education, and youth training programs. Dr. Israel is the lead grower at North Lawndale's Garden to Table Pipeline and focuses on growing nutrient dense produce for the community. As well, Dr Israel is associated with the Lawndale Heritage Garden and the African Heritage Garden. Both gardens serve as a direct link to cultural information and ancestral pride for the predominantly African-American North Lawndale community.

Dr Israel is a graduate of National University of Health Sciences, a Doctor of Chiropractic and Wellness Coach at Healthy Habits by Design.

Jayveon Edmonds is an Urban Roots senior leader, GPCA Youth Advisory council member, teen beekeeper, and valedictorian at Al Raby High School. He describes himself as an open-minded individual who thrives to be a future zoologist and have a positive impact on the world!

Meet our Moderator!

Onyx Engobor is the exhibit specialist at Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. In addition to their interpretive contributions at the Conservatory, Onyx is a gardener and lover of nature. They grew up gardening with their mother and believe in the power of legacy building through gardening. They are excited to join us for this evening and moderate a conversation on How to Keep it Going: Sowing Seeds for Tomorrow's Gardens.