The late Asian American activist Grace Lee Boggs towards the end of her life began to devote her activism to the urban agricultural movement in Detroit.  She believed that urban gardening provided nutritious food, beautifies neighborhoods, and creates and sustains neighborhood social capital,  More importantly, she believed that urban gardening had the capability to be a “quiet revolution,” a movement that liberates people from the pitfalls of industrialization and corporate agriculture.  If this Grace Lee Boggs is right, then many more Filipino Americans need to take this movement seriously and join.

In this episode, we talk to Richard Garcia, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Alma Backyard Farms, about his calling to work with communities and formerly incarcerated people to set up urban gardens.  Listen as he talks about his calling to help others, why he started urban gardening, how to grow the vegetables that Filipinos love, and his ideas on restorative justice.  Additionally, as in many episodes we have done, listen to the TFAL crew’s experience (or lack thereof) in gardening.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For Folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Finally, check out and support Alma Backyard Farms here and watch this short video of what they’re all about!