Bustin’ Loose for Heal our Hood, Three Part Harmony Farm and the Green Scheme. The community came together on Saturday, July 7, 2012 for a BBQ, speak out and dance party in support of autonomous urban agriculture projects in DC.
Tashira Halyard, Mac Gaskins, Gail Taylor and Xavier Brown (left to right)
Following a relaxed meal with beers, burgers and grilled veggies, representatives of different groups talked about their efforts for Food Justice, about the challenges they are facing, and their visions for the future of urban agriculture in the district. The speakers were Tashira Halyard of Heal Our Hood, an organization that was created in 2008 to respond to food and health disparities in low-income communities in Washington, D.C.; Gail Taylor of Three Part Harmony Farm; and Xavier Brown, a master gardener and the Green Scheme‘s Director of Urban Agriculture.
Zachari Curtis
Heal our Hood’s primary goal is to eradicate food deserts (areas with limited access to healthy foods) through community organizing, social justice initiatives, nutritional education, and community gardening. The Green Scheme is an organization designed to educate people of diverse cultural backgrounds about their role in the environmental movement. Zachari Curtis added additional information about the history of agriculture in Washington, DC.
Bustin’ Loose also featured a live performance by DC artist Sitali Siyolwe, a DC-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who spent his childhood crisscrossing the globe with stops in Egypt, Russia and England. At the age of 13, Sitali had his first recording session with veteran producer Glynn Johns (of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones fame). After stints in New York and Seattle, Sitali settled in Washington DC, where he formed the band christened with his name in 2005.
Watch a short video of some of the presentations during Bustin’ Loose:
Performance by Sitali Siyolwe
Community BBQ, Speak Out and Dance Party in support of autonomous urban agriculture projects in DC