Hi, Folks! Honigman's Law: Community Gardening is 50% gardening and 100% politics.
As I've said before, you ignore this law to your peril. Folks, the community garden I founded 19 years ago would be PAVED OVER by the end of this year if it wasn't for the local politicians who stood up and told developer after developer that the community garden -- and the entire community garden, which includes the labyrinth -- must stay "as is, where is." Land use is power and politics is how power is used and implemented. You have to be "in the game" if you want power expended to the benefit of those you serve -- otherwise, Power is going to run you over because only the OTHER interests are heard and served. Non-engagement directly leads to non-existence in community gardens. As someone who has been in this game for many, many years and watched in horror as Philadelphia Mayor Street wiped away DECADES of community garden work, funding and good will in HOURS so that he could implement his (failed) plan to attract developers by giving them large tracts of "open" land to build houses, I tell you, if Michelle Obama is sending us signals by praising community gardens so highly in public settings, that we, as ACGA need to ACT on those signals, encourage her to join us and lay the groundwork so that in 5 years or so, we can all talk about gardening and not 'a developer is trying to destroy our community garden -- what do we do?" ACGA needs Michelle Obama. We've been presented with an opportunity and we need to grab it with both hands. I'd really like to hear from Bobby Wilson, Bill Maynard, Betsy Johnson and the other ACGA Board members on their next steps towards this goal. Dorene Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth A mission of St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460 _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: community_garden@list.communitygarden.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
