Garden members Shana Berger and Yasmin Sitabkhan wrote an article that was published on WickedLocal! Take a quick look at the excerpt below or read the full article here.
Before moving to Somerville in 1981, Kim Pham was an avid gardener in Vietnam and relished any opportunity to be around plants. Now 76 and an ESL student at the Welcome Project, Kim was introduced to the Concord Ave Community Space (CACS) by her teacher, Lindsay Wilbur. Kim was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and before undergoing surgery, she took part in a CACS garden work day where she planted spinach. When she returned to the garden after surgery, she felt weak but was happy to see that the spinach was growing strong. She says, “I like to plant and help people plant, but I don’t have enough energy to take care of my own garden. I like to plant to enjoy them, to see the plants grow up.” Less than three years ago, the lot on the corner of Concord and Webster Avenues was vacant with the exception of one garden bed built by a neighbor. After getting permission from the landowner to transform the entire lot into a garden/community space, a small group of neighbors came together to buy soil and wood, connect with abutting businesses that could provide a water source, conduct outreach to neighbors, and build several more garden beds. Today, the Concord Ave Community Space has more than fifty members with even more individual beds, communal beds, and flowers. Read the full article here.
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Union United is a coalition of stakeholders in Somerville, MA including small business owners, residents, activists, immigrant groups, religious congregations, labor unions, and community-based organizations, working to ensure that the Union Square redevelopment process results in tangible benefits — not displacement -- for the Union Square community. We are working together to create a community benefits agreement – a contract we can sign with the master developer and the City that will create a diverse, sustainable, and equitable Union Square.
For more information about Union United, check out their web page. Concord Ave. Community Space was also featured on a Community Walk that highlighted the history of activism in Union Square. You can read more about that event here. |
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