Courtesy Photo 

*** NOTE: This interview took place online in accordance with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s public health state-of-emergency declaration, which limited public gatherings and commercial activity — including the AllEyesOnDC program that takes place at Sankofa Video Books & Cafe on the third Friday of every month. ***

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has revealed for most people — particuarly those who don’t frequent AllEyesOnDC and other forms of African-centeted media — of the industrial world’s limitations. With various activities and government operations at a standstill, people in America’s urban centers are mulling how to fend for themselves.

Anxiety about what the future holds, for some people, has compelled some investigation into urban gardening. With the beginning of the spring season come the opportunity to grow some food and collaborate with others on a similar mission. As Xavier Brown explains in this video, this endeavor will allow participants to gain a better relationship with their community, and the earth. It will also help us get in tune with what ancestors did to survive.

Most importantly, this course of action — should we continue to carry it out after the end of the pandemic — will bring us closser to the self-detemination espoused by Marcus Mosiah Garvey and numerous others.

Take some time to watch this interview, as it contains practical knowledge about how to manifest the garden you’ve always wanted. It’s much easier than what we’ve been led to believe. In the end, we’ll gain a better relationship with the earth and fill our body with the nutrients needed to maintain a strong immune system.