Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 8-20-21

Local
Tampa Heritage Unity Garden Urban Progress
Alliance Celebrates With Love Feast
A group of those who participated in the Love Feast.
On June 19th of this year, the Urban Progress Alliance, Tampa Bay Disaster Resilience Initiative, Boricuas de Corazón, the CLEO Institute, and West Tampa residents gathered to observe June- teenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of African- American slaves. It is a day to celebrate Black liberty and au- tonomy. Many consider June- teenth as a second Independence Day and is best spent in the company of family and friends.
Local Sustainable Food Systems
A love feast was held at the site of the Tampa Heritage Ini- tiative (THI) Unity Garden in West Tampa. The open lot came to life as tents and tables were set up by volunteers. Peo- ple from all walks of life came to learn more about the THI Unity Garden project and their plans to generate nutritious food for the local area.
The space was energized with new excitement, foreshad- owing a future vision where lush gardens will grow and where young minds can learn. Residents will be able to get connected with a localized source of produce. People will once again reconnect with the land and have walkable access to nutritious food. This has been the mission of the Urban Progress Alliance.
A locally-sourced dinner spread was laid out for atten- dees to enjoy a meal. Boricuas de Corazón handed out bags of free and fresh produce to take home. No one was leaving hungry. The Love Feast would be the first of many, supporting the neigh- borhood and the local food
movement.
Preserving Community Connection
Community gardens and urban farms have a way of manifesting connection be- tween people, nature, and place. The THI Unity Garden aims to preserve that connec- tion as well as uplift people to be self-sufficient, to break away from reliance on a flawed food system. Community leader, Andre Hill, Sr., founder of the Urban Progress Alliance and Walter Smith, spoke on local issues and what must be done to dismantle injustice.
The President of UPA, Ms. Brenda Allen, gave her em- powering words that instilled hope in all. She said, “All of us on this planet are here to live in peace and joy and harmony and truth and justice and right- eousness and reciprocity...and prosperity without any racial disparity, without any inequal- ity, without any unjust. When we get it...just think of how beautiful this world is going to be...and it starts with love.”
One local Tampa resident said that he was glad to see some good being done after generations of loss and divi- sion. He said he sees so much negativity towards one an- other, whether it’s online or in person. For him, progress and unity felt far away from his world. It was refreshing for him to know that there are still people in his community who are driven to make a difference. The root of their drive comes from love.
You can donate to the Tampa Heritage Initiative by going to this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f /tampa-heritage-initiative- unity-garden.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 11-A