- 15 hours ago
Michael Chaney (Activist/Founder of Sweaty Pi) & Dian Chaman (Director Of Climate & Resiliency).
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Now, I have the honor and privilege to introduce to you our moderator for the day.
00:05She is such an amazing, vibrant energy.
00:08I'm so privileged to have gotten to know her today.
00:11The introduction of Bridget Todd.
00:13Bridget Todd is the creator and host of iHeartRadio's critically acclaimed podcast,
00:19There Are No Girls on the Internet.
00:21Formerly, she co-hosted iHeartMedia's Stuff Mom Never Told You.
00:25Ain't that the truth right there, y'all.
00:27It's a podcast bringing feminist issues to 2 million ears a month.
00:33Make some noise for that.
00:342 million ears.
00:36The bass.
00:37And hosted a global salon with Afropunk where she talked to high-profile women like Ava DuVermay
00:43and the Me Too creator, Tarana Burke.
00:47Please welcome our moderator, Bridget Todd.
00:53Thank you for that lovely introduction.
00:55Give it up for Lee Blaze.
00:57Thank you for making us feel centered and seen and healed in this space.
01:03And I'm so excited to be with all of you today.
01:05Make some noise for yourself or show up.
01:10So I am so thrilled and honored to be here with you all under this beautiful sky, beautiful sun,
01:16on this beautiful green grass.
01:17And today we're really going to be talking a little bit about that.
01:20You know, historically, black folks, folks that look like us, have not always been able
01:25to show up in outdoor spaces without being harassed or attacked.
01:29You've even seen really high-profile cases of black folks who were out in nature just trying
01:34to hike or birdwatch being harassed, attacked, having the police called on them.
01:39And so today we're going to be having a conversation all about what it means to be a black face in an outdoor space.
01:45And I am so thrilled to be joined by my amazing panel, Michael and Diana.
01:50Give it up.
01:55So, Michael, let's start with you.
01:56I would love that you could introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Project Sweetie Pie.
02:00I'm just going to salute to Blaze.
02:03I am a sunflower lighting up the sky with hope and optimism that today will be followed by a brighter tomorrow.
02:16For it is but a prayer, blessings from the gods that separate a dry and fallow spring from a full harvest moon.
02:27What can we do to make, to take a lasting place in the rainbow compendium called time?
02:35I often find it hard to put down my pen, compelled but not conquered like some men by my own arrogance.
02:41For how much do I have a right to say and how and when?
02:45Project at hand, projects at hand.
02:48Life, what a strange set of circumstances.
02:51Skilled but as often is the case, not allowed to practice or improve our craft.
02:55Our hearts bleed, our minds acrophy, and then grow impotent.
03:00People all over the world are suffering.
03:03Can't you hear their plaintive pleas?
03:06For a day to come, for hope still alive, pray you and I, I and I hold shares in the future of the world.
03:13In our hearts, in our hands, in our minds.
03:15While our enemies contemplate our demise.
03:18How I despise hate and the mongers of hate.
03:21I rest my case and will say no more.
03:25For love is, love is eternal.
03:27Fire.
03:31My name is Michael Chaney.
03:33I'm an activist and organizer.
03:35And for those of you who don't know me, I'm the founder of the Juneteenth here in the state of Minnesota.
03:41So you kind of got a twofer with me today, Bridget.
03:43So you dialed the right number.
03:47Anyway, we started the Juneteenth celebration back in 1984.
03:52Why?
03:53Because we felt that it's important that how do you recognize people from around the world?
03:58You recognize them by the clothes they wear, by the foods they eat, and their festivals and celebrations.
04:04And so we felt that it was critical that people, in order to demonstrate our humanity as African American people, that it's important that we celebrate our festivals.
04:15Know who we are and a level of humanity that we bring to the world family.
04:20And so we started the Juneteenth celebration coming out of the glass into the grass.
04:26Come run for liberation.
04:27And that was really my beginning to really grow, not only myself, but grow my community.
04:35Because when you invest in the community, you're investing in yourself.
04:39Absolutely.
04:40I love that.
04:41And I want to bring you in, Diana, because I know that your work is really also about growing and investing in the community.
04:47Tell us about your work with Hennepin County Climate and Resiliency and how it impacts everybody who either lives in Hennepin County or travels through it.
04:55Yeah.
04:55Thank you so much for having me today.
04:57I'm just so honored to be with all of you, with Michael and with people with so much spirit and love for the earth and our communities.
05:06And I apologize because I didn't bring a poem, but I can share with you a bit of my background.
05:11So I'm originally from Peru.
05:13I've done a lot of work with native communities, indigenous communities, on the rights to managing their own resources,
05:21so water, land, and agriculture as a means of development.
05:26And then I moved to the US to do my master's, and now I'm here trying to do the same with our communities.
05:32I know as much as there is this notion of differences across the world, we all want the same.
05:39We all want access to the basic things, water, our land, a place to live, and a community and security.
05:45So that's something that really moved me, and here I'm trying to do the same with my work at the county.
05:51I started as a community liaison, and now I direct our first Department on Climate and Resiliency.
05:58And we're trying to do that with a vision that is centered in our communities, particularly our communities of color.
06:06Because as you may know, there has been a lot of movement on, you know, green and environment,
06:11but it has been extremely managed, and I would say focused on very high-level visions of what our future should be,
06:22very technical, a little elitist as well.
06:26So we're trying to bring it down to earth and be based on what our communities actually want,
06:31and what the power of our community has, particularly with a focus on youth.
06:36So I'm really excited to see a lot of young faces today that are clearly energized by our cause.
06:43So what I do currently is, first off, we've created this department that is brand new,
06:47and I would dare to say it's the only one in the Midwest that is carrying this work.
06:53We're coordinating with communities, first off, to understand what are the needs of the communities,
06:58how can we tap on, you know, access to basic services, so water, housing, as means of resiliency
07:05and securing the future of our communities to be strong in front of climate change.
07:11And then there's an element, too, of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that I think is super exciting
07:16because we tend to see it from a technical point of view,
07:19but I think that this could bring a lot of development in the future if we do, for example, you know,
07:25transportation-oriented development that brings more capacity for communities to mobilize around the cities
07:32through mass transit to electric vehicles.
07:35How do we break the silos across systems, and how do we ensure that we're listening to our youth
07:40and we're learning from the capacity of our communities to strengthen themselves
07:45instead of coming, as we tend to do with the government everywhere in the world,
07:49and telling them what we're supposed to do, but actually learning from the strengths of our communities
07:54and supporting those strengths.
07:56So that's high-level what I'm trying to do now.
07:58Absolutely.
07:59So I love that there's a through line between both of your work, which is empowering youth.
08:03And Michael, I know that that's a big part of what you do.
08:06Can you tell us about how you're using education around things like agriculture and climate
08:11and entrepreneurship to really connect with and empower our youth?
08:15Well, you know, I always speak at rhyme and riddle, so...
08:18North Minneapolis is going green.
08:20Give us a call and learn what we mean.
08:23Where once lie urban blight, now sits luscious garden sites.
08:28Gardens without borders, classrooms without walls, architects of our own destinies, access to food, justice for all.
08:37And now, like sweet potato vines, our missions and goals all intertwine.
08:43Certainly, again, my name is Michael Chaney.
08:46I'm the founder of Juneteenth in Minnesota in the 80s.
08:49In the 90s, I was the founder of the Wendell Phillips Credit Union in South Minneapolis.
08:53And in 2010, when North High came under attack, there were those which is the primary black school, high school in North Minneapolis.
09:01Myself, I was part of a group called Afro-Eco, and we felt that the killing of a school is the killing of any community.
09:09And so, in all good conscience, we couldn't allow that.
09:11So, we went and started Project Sweetie Pie.
09:14The first year, we had five gardens, 50 partners.
09:17Second year, we had 10 gardens, 75 partners.
09:19And the third year, we worked with folks, and we created 25 gardens and 150 partners in an initiative called Gardens Galore.
09:30So, we're really using the DNA that's in each and every one of us.
09:35We invented agriculture in this country.
09:37You know, our forefathers, you know, and foremothers, you know, brought seeds from Africa, okra, greens.
09:43And so, yet, we've turned our back on our heritage, on our history, and we've allowed someone else to control our narrative instead of us advancing our own visions, our own humanity, and moving it forward.
09:57So, Project Sweetie Pie, we've been around.
09:59We created the first urban legislation in the nation.
10:04I'm fortunate to be working with Diane and her program.
10:07They have a thing called Green Partners.
10:08We're creating a food forest, the Celestial Garden, a gathering place for God's grace, and that initiative is called Shared Fruit, the restoration of the commons.
10:19We need to control our own destiny.
10:23We need to take back our own narrative.
10:26We need to go beyond and realize that urban agriculture, local food production, is the latest iteration of the civil rights movement.
10:35And so, that's critical that we, we are very blessed as well.
10:40We were just asked by the USDA.
10:42We're one of 17 cities across the country.
10:46They're doing an initiative called the People's Garden.
10:50And so, they've asked Project Sweetie Pie to coordinate the one here in Minnesota.
10:54And so, we're very excited by that project.
10:58We're also partnering with a Canadian organization called Nature's Pathway.
11:03We're one of 22 projects that they're doing.
11:06There's a whole movement, if folks don't know, there's a whole movement around food and urban farming.
11:13And I never separate the two because it isn't just about food access.
11:19It isn't just about food sovereignty.
11:21It's really about regenerative agriculture, regenerative economics in terms of how do we create commerce in our community that is the lifeblood of our salvation as human beings and as people.
11:36I love that.
11:37So, I mean, it really does sound like it's all about self-determination and using agriculture to really take back a lot of our power.
11:45And so, I guess I'm curious, do the two of you see more and more people in Minnesota setting up their own urban gardens and getting more involved in urban agriculture?
11:54Like, what have you all seen in the space?
11:56Yeah, I think that there's, I mean, I really love what Michael just said.
11:59And the fact that I think historically we tended to see, you know, food as just another resource.
12:06You go to the grocery store, you get your food, and that's it.
12:09But we tend to forget about the processes that come before that and how that intertwines with human development and the capacity to be empowered and self-determination.
12:20So, I think that we tend to forget about, you know, small farming communities and the relationship with BIPOC communities as well.
12:27What I've seen is a lot of energy for urban agriculture, a lot of energy on, you know, community gardens and maybe investing in pollinators.
12:36Communities just doing that on their own.
12:39And also food banks, and I used to work for one of them.
12:42I helped them create a strategy to reduce child hunger.
12:44And the vision, again, was how do we, you know, bring this?
12:49We bring to the community far more than just food to pick up and leave.
12:53But, you know, the capacity of self-determination through training, through energizing community, through learning what are they doing that we could bring back home instead of just depending on bringing, you know, a bag from a food bank.
13:07What I've seen, too, is, you know, like aquaponics, investing in vertical agriculture.
13:13So, trying to be as creative as possible with the means that we have.
13:18I love that.
13:19Have you seen the same thing?
13:20Well, you're looking at it.
13:21Look across the street.
13:24You see this is a storage container over there.
13:28That's what's known as hydroponics.
13:30That organization is Pillsbury United.
13:32They are my partner in the People's Garden Initiative.
13:37And so they're actually growing, as we speak, basils and greens year-round.
13:43Step one, how do we create scattered gardens?
13:46Step two, what is the social media that we need to really tell the story?
13:50Step number three, how do we talk about season extension so that it isn't just, you know, a hobby, but it's really a revenue stream that can create economic well-being within your community?
14:03And number four, step number four, how can we create infrastructure in our community?
14:10You know, in many of our communities, not only are they living in what a lot of people like to refer to as food deserts, but you see that there's no real industry and way for people, our young people, to really get their hands in the dirt.
14:25And it's even about how do we go from being of the consumers as African-American and people of color?
14:33How can we actually become producers?
14:36And the moment that we can move into that producer space, then we will be in control of our own destiny.
14:42This is an abolitionist movement.
14:45You know, it is part of the Underground Railroad.
14:48And that storage card over there is a great example.
14:52I would urge you, if you live here locally, to visit.
14:55It's produced by Freight Farm, and they have those installations all across the country.
15:01That grocery store over there is created by Adair, Mosley, and Pillsbury.
15:08And it's really framed around the same thing.
15:11How can we bring health and well-being to our communities?
15:14So, until we, we won't really know equity until we see that the products on our big box stores are reflective of the diversity of our community.
15:26Black folks, what are we going to bring to the table?
15:28So, let's say, if somebody out there is listening, and they're like, you know what, I want to start an urban garden.
15:41I want to go back to my apartment and start growing something.
15:43Can you give them some tips of how they can get started?
15:46I think that probably, even before you do this on your own, I think part of it is to, you know, connecting with a community and being integrated with a larger movement.
16:00And I think probably going back to Project Sweetie Pie would be a good idea.
16:05And learning about, beyond the techniques, just understanding what's the purpose of it.
16:09There's an element of food security, like Michael said.
16:13You know, wellness and health, because you're bringing something that you've helped grown, that is helping you grow as a person, too, into your, you know, your everyday life.
16:25But then there's the element of empowering your own community.
16:27So, I think that organizing would be part of it.
16:32If you want to share a space of land with a group, if you are lucky to be living in an area where there's potential for a lot and have access to it,
16:42I would say coordinating with your neighbors, with your friends, to know how you will be, you know, planting, either planting or raising beds, whatever you prefer, whatever makes more sense.
16:51One thing that I can add on my part, if I can help on that, is that Hennepin County has a group of different lots and parcels that are around the county.
17:02We don't use them.
17:03These are considered unbuildable lots.
17:05And we're currently analyzing the potential use of them for either doing community gardens or, you know, urban agriculture or bed raises, raising beds for the areas that are a little on the hard space side.
17:19And it's difficult to use the soil because it might be not as useful for growing plants.
17:26But, anyway, I think that's something that we can connect, and I would love to coordinate further on that with Michael.
17:32So, those are some ideas that I have.
17:35To that end, the urban egg bill that I told you about, it's called the Agri Grant.
17:40The reason that I created this urban, that grant was that there really were no resources on the city level to really advance all this hard work that people were volunteering to do, you know, out of the love and passion for their communities and their people.
17:58So, we went to them, if you are a nonprofit, if you are a faith-based organization, if you are working with young people, you can apply to get seed funding up to $50,000 to create your program.
18:12Diane is being humble.
18:13They have a program called the Green Partners Grant, and we've been blessed.
18:18They are one of the major sponsors of this food forest that I told you we're creating over here, the Celestial Garden, the People's Garden.
18:25We received $15,000 from them to help build that out.
18:30So, there slowly are funds that are being created on all different levels, but more importantly is just really becoming active in your community.
18:41You know, it's one thing to be from the community, and being in the community is one thing.
18:46Being from the community and a part of the community is another.
18:49So, each and every one of you, bring your passion, bring your wisdom, bring your experience, and let's create dinner and a movement.
18:59I love it.
19:02Now, I want to turn it to all of you.
19:04What questions do you have for Diana and Michael?
19:07We've got a mic runner in the audience.
19:08Just raise your hand, and they will come to you.
19:11What are your questions?
19:11Don't be shy.
19:13This is your chance to get on TV, okay, guys?
19:15Go for it.
19:16Who wants to be a star?
19:17Do you mention about youth learning, right?
19:23Hello.
19:24I'm Monica.
19:25So, you mentioned about youth, right?
19:27They don't have the opportunity to work, and they really feel, you know, earth and work, but, you know, like, this kind.
19:34You know, we haven't been raising kids to think from the beginning, right, that this is what they need to do.
19:39So, what kind of youth programs do you have that we can bring our kids to start them early on, learning about how to care for the earth and how to be self-sufficient, right?
19:50So, you know, going from consumers to producers, that I think is a brilliant concept.
19:56Like, what programs do you have that we can give to the kids here in this community and beyond?
20:01I can start with that.
20:03I know you have a really solid program.
20:05So, we're investing a lot on green pathways, we call it.
20:10So, there's an element to urban agriculture.
20:12We've been coordinating with the University of Minnesota Extension to support the education of youth and families on getting training on master gardening classes,
20:22and then planting different types of seeds in particular lots.
20:29I think we have two in North Minneapolis.
20:31We're also talking with different agencies to invest in them.
20:35Going back to what Michael was saying, we have a fund that's called Green Partners,
20:40but then I also wanted to share that this year we should be releasing an additional fund for what we're calling mitigation and adaptation funds,
20:48and I really want to see a lot of youth organizing.
20:51We're really excited about investing in our youth.
20:54All we need is energy, and all we need is organization.
20:57If you have the capacity to organize within your community, as Michael said,
21:02there's a difference between being in your community and creating community.
21:06Help us create a community.
21:08We have all the energy to support you, and we want to ensure that we're, you know,
21:12listening to your needs and co-organizing with you.
21:15So, we have that on one end.
21:17And then we're also coordinating.
21:19There's another element that we're working with community and corrections within Hennepin County.
21:25We really want to break, you know, the unfortunate pathway from high school to, you know,
21:33living within the criminal justice system.
21:35We want to take that away.
21:36So, we want to focus on youth that might be vulnerable to invest in training on planting trees,
21:44on taking care of bushes, et cetera.
21:47And now we're coordinating with cities on supporting them, expanding their tree canopy,
21:51and looking at areas that are vulnerable within the county.
21:54We have a map for that.
21:56So, investing in those areas and supporting those community-based agencies, that's what we're doing right now.
22:02So, really, the idea is continue growing.
22:05And personally, I'm here more so to listen to you.
22:09I would love to hear your ideas and bring them back and connect.
22:12Monica, I think you hit the nail on the head.
22:16Again, it's all about, you know, divide and conquer.
22:20You know, we as nonprofits were pitted against each other for pittance instead of really recognizing that,
22:28and if nothing else, the COVID was, I call it the great revealer,
22:31because it really showed us that there's resources out here in this.
22:36Whose resources are they?
22:38There are resources.
22:39There are tax dollars, our tax dollars that dribble down from the federal government
22:45to the state government, to the county government, to the city government.
22:51And those folks all the way up and down that trench way are siphoning off resources,
22:57and so the resources aren't really getting to who they should be.
23:01Your children, her children, his son, his daughter.
23:06And what do we see as the cause and effect of that?
23:08We see our young brothers and sisters, you know, caught up in a cycle of violence
23:14because there's no jobs in our community, there's no businesses in our community,
23:19and there's no way out for them.
23:22We're using food and urban farming as that pathway.
23:26One of the initiatives that I'm working on with the University of Minnesota,
23:30I call it the Nile of the North, and it is a green atlas,
23:33because if you don't know who's on first, and if you don't know who's on second,
23:39and if you don't know who's on third, then you've got a keystone cop scenario
23:44where we're all chasing our tail, we're all fighting against each other for, again,
23:49kibbles and bits instead of us uniting, as we've seen through Juneteenth.
23:55Shout out to Juneteenth, federal holiday, but again, that's took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears
24:02by activists and organizers all across this country who knew that we had to acknowledge our heritage,
24:10celebrate our heritage, and share our heritage as human beings
24:15in the contribution that we brought to this country.
24:18And so, Monica, exactly what you're saying.
24:20We need to organize, organize, organize, identify for your immediate answer to your question.
24:28You've got organizations like Youth Farm that work with the real shorties.
24:32Then you've got organizations like Appetite for Change right down here on Broadway
24:36that's doing some phenomenal stuff.
24:39Project Sweetie Pie, again, we started in 2010 and saw this as a pathway forward to the future,
24:46and we continue to grow and harvest solutions because, again, we are harvest-based.
24:52We've done all the research we need to do on the problem.
24:55Let's get busy. There's work to be done.
24:58Absolutely. Give it up for that.
25:01That seems like a fantastic place to end. Thank you so much.
25:05Where can folks keep in touch with all the amazing work you're doing?
25:09Well, Project Sweetie Pie, we've got a website, www.projectsweetiepie.org.
25:14We're located here in North Minneapolis.
25:17We've got many of these gardens that you see scattered throughout the garden.
25:22This year we'll have 15 gardens.
25:24And don't be shy.
25:26Come on and come grow with us.
25:28We're trying to grow good in the neighborhood.
25:31Good food, good schools, good youth and families.
25:33Beautiful.
25:34And, Diana, where can folks keep in touch?
25:36Yeah, so if you want to connect with us and just, you know, learn more of what we're doing
25:41and maybe also bring in your input, we're really eager to learn more from what the community needs,
25:47you can go to hennepin.us slash climateaction,
25:51and you can find all the information about our work there.
25:54And also feel free to contact me.
25:56You can find me on hennepin.us.
25:58Yeah, so thank you so much for having us.
26:02Let's hear it for our panel.
26:06Thank you so much for joining us.
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