Gateway Greening continues to be deeply saddened by the effects of police brutality in our communities, both locally and nationally. We have been taking this time to reflect on our organization’s role in the Black Lives Matter movement. We pledge to continue to use our social media as a space for these conversations and to do our part to keep the movement alive until change happens. We are following the leadership provided by Forward Through Ferguson during this time, and encourage all to see the resources and goals they have laid out.
Police brutality is a symptom of systemic racism in this country, as is access to education, healthcare, and food. Within our mission, we aim to educate and empower people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Part of this mission includes fighting the systemic inequalities that keep communities from accessing fresh food, culturally important food, and making autonomous food choices. Now, more than ever, people need resources to help them grow food for themselves and others. During the height of the growing season, we believe we would be doing a disservice to the communities we serve by not providing the resources we have promised to deliver. At the same time, we cannot resume gardening content posts without acknowledging the shift, and without delivering the promise that we will continue to share anti-racist material.
We also want to address the questions about our action steps moving forward. This movement has been impactful on our organization, and has come during a time when we are going through internal changes. In order to make sure our action steps are as carefully thought out and as impactful as possible, we have been taking time to reflect, organize, and question what these steps will look like for Gateway Greening. This has and will continue to take time, but by putting in the work now, we will create lasting progress in our services and the communities we serve. We will be releasing our action steps soon, and appreciate everyone’s patience.
Thank you to the organizations in St. Louis who have been working hard to lift voices of color and bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. Thank you to Forward Through Ferguson for providing clear action steps. Thank you to the individuals who have shared their stories and hardships during these times. Together we can enact change and carry the movement forward.