Sorry for the long break in updates. I'd like to say that every moment of every day has been too busy, but that would be a lie. Anyhow, this is a poem by community friend and theologian Jim Perkinson. It was written and performed for us at our house blessing. Wonderful.
larkins again
potato curled tires
wires full of tomatoes
enchilada-dreaming peppers
and plots of yellow-gold flowers
showers of rain
bowers of drooping fruit
in a lot like detroit
composting the trash, the mash
the clash of cultures with out scruple
a place for the people
wide-eyed pupils staring stsraight
through the drama, the draped
nape of neck, at the beck and call
of a fallen covey of powers
a backyard praying the hours
haunted by the haunt of the house
re-birthed in the mouth of the local youth
uncouth mirth of a widening girth of care
inside the lair, the noose of a dead
company of cars, sorrow transfigured
by the coming of tomorrow, now
the howl of a hound of heaven rising
like leaven inside the bone of memory
levity like a community in the severity of
the city, a green, green bevy of wizened
souls old as young and laughing at the declivity
in the brain of the polity
a selectivity of temerity, growing spirit
in a box of mulch, a gulch of
hilarity a rarity of courage married
to a lack of money, as sweet as honey
on the tooth
or living on the street of strained roofs
like the moon was as divine
as the kind word of a homeless hand
blessing the rest of us
with eternal comeuppance.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Of cats and rats
Now let me preface this post by saying that I grew up in the suburbs. I understand that the city, in many ways, would have a hard time existing without the suburbs and vice versa. To each their own. But this is just funny.
So a few weeks ago, I was helping out at the Day House Catholic Worker with a big high school youth group from a very very wealthy suburb of Detroit. They had come to help do some cleanup in the neighborhood and at a local church. Their youth group leader was pretty great; he had decided to implement some "simple living and solidarity" rules including limited showers, PBandJ lunches, no accepting treats, every one at every work site got the same food, work hours, etc. No revolution, but it was obvious that it was definitely stretching some of the kids. So Jeff (a catholic worker) and I were the "detroit reps" for the week, coming up with projects and facilitating the work. It was a great week and we accomplished quite a bit.
On the last day of the week, some of the kids were using the bathroom at the Catholic worker and one accidentally shut herself into the bathroom with Tiger, the cat. Tiger, apparently a little freaked out by the incident, reacted as a cat and bit her. Tiger has lived at the house for years and has never bitten anyone, even with all of the chaos of a Catholic Worker. Long story short, the parents of the youth group freaked out, sent animal control, and Tiger eventually had to spend 10 days in quarantine before being given away to a new home. Now I'm going to go ahead and guess that if a house cat from Rochester Hills had gotten spooked and bitten someone, the fear level may have been a little different. But all cats in Detroit have rabies, obviously. All in all, pretty funny. Understandable, but still slightly ridiculous.
Today, I was working with a different group of teens. This group was from the Greening of Detroit and has been spending their summer helping with reforestation, eliminating invasives, making fallen timber benches, etc. Pretty cool work. The students are definitely punks, though. I mean that in an endearing way. My friend Anna is one of the leaders of a group of 10 of these students and brought them over to our house so I could talk a little bit about urban farming and show them our garden. They were pretty great. A little hard to keep their attention, but they were definitely listening and asking questions. Plus its always fun to hand people fresh mint without telling them what it is until it starts burning their tongue like "an altoid on crack."
Anyhow, just as they were leaving I was explaining to them our compost system. I opened the lid and what did I find? This giant dead rat.
I was pretty horrified. Less by the rat and more by the thought of 10 high school students freaking out and writing me off as the crazy lady who composts rats. But, unlike the cat incident, these high schoolers were entirely unfazed. One even asked me if I wanted her to get it out for me. She said something along the lines of " I guess there really isnt a better place for a rat to die than in a giant pile of food trash. He was probably happy."
Now, I'm not romanticizing city life over suburban or making any quality judgments. A healthy fear of rabies and rats is probably good, no matter who has it. But the contrast was pretty entertaining. Tiger ends up being evicted from the Catholic Worker and this giant dead rat was hardly given notice.
So a few weeks ago, I was helping out at the Day House Catholic Worker with a big high school youth group from a very very wealthy suburb of Detroit. They had come to help do some cleanup in the neighborhood and at a local church. Their youth group leader was pretty great; he had decided to implement some "simple living and solidarity" rules including limited showers, PBandJ lunches, no accepting treats, every one at every work site got the same food, work hours, etc. No revolution, but it was obvious that it was definitely stretching some of the kids. So Jeff (a catholic worker) and I were the "detroit reps" for the week, coming up with projects and facilitating the work. It was a great week and we accomplished quite a bit.
On the last day of the week, some of the kids were using the bathroom at the Catholic worker and one accidentally shut herself into the bathroom with Tiger, the cat. Tiger, apparently a little freaked out by the incident, reacted as a cat and bit her. Tiger has lived at the house for years and has never bitten anyone, even with all of the chaos of a Catholic Worker. Long story short, the parents of the youth group freaked out, sent animal control, and Tiger eventually had to spend 10 days in quarantine before being given away to a new home. Now I'm going to go ahead and guess that if a house cat from Rochester Hills had gotten spooked and bitten someone, the fear level may have been a little different. But all cats in Detroit have rabies, obviously. All in all, pretty funny. Understandable, but still slightly ridiculous.
Today, I was working with a different group of teens. This group was from the Greening of Detroit and has been spending their summer helping with reforestation, eliminating invasives, making fallen timber benches, etc. Pretty cool work. The students are definitely punks, though. I mean that in an endearing way. My friend Anna is one of the leaders of a group of 10 of these students and brought them over to our house so I could talk a little bit about urban farming and show them our garden. They were pretty great. A little hard to keep their attention, but they were definitely listening and asking questions. Plus its always fun to hand people fresh mint without telling them what it is until it starts burning their tongue like "an altoid on crack."
Anyhow, just as they were leaving I was explaining to them our compost system. I opened the lid and what did I find? This giant dead rat.
I was pretty horrified. Less by the rat and more by the thought of 10 high school students freaking out and writing me off as the crazy lady who composts rats. But, unlike the cat incident, these high schoolers were entirely unfazed. One even asked me if I wanted her to get it out for me. She said something along the lines of " I guess there really isnt a better place for a rat to die than in a giant pile of food trash. He was probably happy."
Now, I'm not romanticizing city life over suburban or making any quality judgments. A healthy fear of rabies and rats is probably good, no matter who has it. But the contrast was pretty entertaining. Tiger ends up being evicted from the Catholic Worker and this giant dead rat was hardly given notice.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Only in Detroit
I never know how to start updates, especially after over a month of blogging-dryspell, so i'll just skip to the cheesy good stuff: SOMEONE DONATED A HOUSE TO US. And its right down the street. And it has a huge porch. And I think I'm remembering that God exists.
I feel like I could just stop there, but I will continue. Let me backtrack a bit. I have been incredibly blessed in Detroit with a wonderful peace community that has existed for decades and happens to include my roommate lydia and my landlord (her dad.) This has led to some great support in the form of furniture, food, advice, prayers, etc. Weeding in exchange for lasagna and homemade mac and cheese is hands down better than any other part time job I could possibly imagine.
Recently, two peace community members bought a foreclosed home down the street. Many of these homes end up entirely stripped or in flames soon after they are vacant, which is sad on many levels. So, in order to prevent some of the consequences of foreclosures, they planned to fix up the house a bit and maybe rent or eventually sell it. After going on a retreat and reading some good old Dorothy Day, Ed (a former priest) felt moved to use the house for hospitality. After discussing it with his wife, they decided to talk to a few folks who were looking to start hospitality communities (including us.) Obviously, as a matter of justice, foreclosures are really complex, especially in Detroit. Its hard to walk through the house without wondering where the former owners are and thinking of the thousands of people who have been forced out of homes. I am glad, however, that this house won't end up like so many others in our neighborhood (though vacant lots do eventually make for nice gardens...)
So the short of it is we now have a new house. We are still discerning some of the details, but it seems that the pieces keep falling into place. We have a few people who will likely be joining our community, so we are navigating how that will all work out. It will be a little tricky, but there are definitely worse problems for a community to have. Our plan is to give a home to families on the first floor for somewhat long-term housing (6 months to two years-ish) and we will live on the top floor as well as in the apartment we are currently in.
It has certainly been very exciting but also a bit intense. So many decisions to be made, and Erinn and Hannah haven't even moved in yet! Crazy. But it seems that just as I was questioning my purpose here, I was given an amazing gift. While I have had a few momentary freak-outs ("Oh shit, does this mean I'm really stuck in Detroit?") they have been countered with many times of clarity and peace (things I havent had much of for months.)
I came to Detroit expecting a depressed town, worried that I wouldnt be bright enough or strong enough to respond in a way that countered the oppressive forces that seem so blatant in this city. I was worried that I wouldnt be able to find my way into the heart of a town that seems somewhat inpenetrable. What right did a white girl from the suburbs have to choose to be a part of Detroit's struggle? But it seems that my experience has been quite the opposite. Detroit has found its way into my heart. Its starting to take my own depression and feed it with brightness and strength, drawing me into the struggle while putting me in my place.
Come December, when the the garden is dry and our big porch covered in snow, I may feel a little differently. But for now, I am going to finish my glass of wine and enjoy the fact that I am covered in spackle and primer from working on the new house. Amen Detroit.
View from 2nd floor porch
I feel like I could just stop there, but I will continue. Let me backtrack a bit. I have been incredibly blessed in Detroit with a wonderful peace community that has existed for decades and happens to include my roommate lydia and my landlord (her dad.) This has led to some great support in the form of furniture, food, advice, prayers, etc. Weeding in exchange for lasagna and homemade mac and cheese is hands down better than any other part time job I could possibly imagine.
Recently, two peace community members bought a foreclosed home down the street. Many of these homes end up entirely stripped or in flames soon after they are vacant, which is sad on many levels. So, in order to prevent some of the consequences of foreclosures, they planned to fix up the house a bit and maybe rent or eventually sell it. After going on a retreat and reading some good old Dorothy Day, Ed (a former priest) felt moved to use the house for hospitality. After discussing it with his wife, they decided to talk to a few folks who were looking to start hospitality communities (including us.) Obviously, as a matter of justice, foreclosures are really complex, especially in Detroit. Its hard to walk through the house without wondering where the former owners are and thinking of the thousands of people who have been forced out of homes. I am glad, however, that this house won't end up like so many others in our neighborhood (though vacant lots do eventually make for nice gardens...)
So the short of it is we now have a new house. We are still discerning some of the details, but it seems that the pieces keep falling into place. We have a few people who will likely be joining our community, so we are navigating how that will all work out. It will be a little tricky, but there are definitely worse problems for a community to have. Our plan is to give a home to families on the first floor for somewhat long-term housing (6 months to two years-ish) and we will live on the top floor as well as in the apartment we are currently in.
It has certainly been very exciting but also a bit intense. So many decisions to be made, and Erinn and Hannah haven't even moved in yet! Crazy. But it seems that just as I was questioning my purpose here, I was given an amazing gift. While I have had a few momentary freak-outs ("Oh shit, does this mean I'm really stuck in Detroit?") they have been countered with many times of clarity and peace (things I havent had much of for months.)
I came to Detroit expecting a depressed town, worried that I wouldnt be bright enough or strong enough to respond in a way that countered the oppressive forces that seem so blatant in this city. I was worried that I wouldnt be able to find my way into the heart of a town that seems somewhat inpenetrable. What right did a white girl from the suburbs have to choose to be a part of Detroit's struggle? But it seems that my experience has been quite the opposite. Detroit has found its way into my heart. Its starting to take my own depression and feed it with brightness and strength, drawing me into the struggle while putting me in my place.
Come December, when the the garden is dry and our big porch covered in snow, I may feel a little differently. But for now, I am going to finish my glass of wine and enjoy the fact that I am covered in spackle and primer from working on the new house. Amen Detroit.
View from 2nd floor porch
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Detroit Agriculture
Earthworks, greening Detroit, and several of the other groups mentioned have helped us with our garden. For the full article as well as other progressive news, head to CommonDreams.org
Urban Agriculture as a Career Path
DETROIT — “I want to be an urban farmer,” said Tom Howe, 19, a freshman at Wayne State University. “I want to start a community garden in some kind of ecovillage with farmers and chefs.”
This may seem an unusual career goal for a young man of the twenty-first century, let alone one from Birmingham, an upscale middle class suburb of Detroit. It’s also counter-intuitive that a major university located in the middle of the cultural center could offer Howe a means to his aspirations.
But Howe is a member of WSU’s Sustainable Food Systems Education and Engagement in Detroit or “SEED Wayne” for short, a program that was instituted last May.
SEED Wayne calls for a critical assessment of the conventional food system and its relationship to the health of local communities, economies, environments, and cultures, said Kami Pothukuchi, associate professor of geography and urban planning at WSU and the founder of the largest inner-city campus with a comprehensive food systems program that is not run by an agriculture school.
“SEED Wayne also challenges students and others to examine the broader implications of their food choices,” she said.
For example, Pothukuchi teaches how a “community-based food system” revolves around local farmers, processors and distributors who produce fresh and value-added products.
Pothukuchi, who is among a handful of professional urban planners who see local agriculture and urban farming as a valuable tool for regional economic development, said that community-based agriculture has the potential for creating jobs, developing small business entrepreneurships and keeping precious dollars in the community.
“Michigan has the second most diverse agriculture in the United States [with 150 crops],” she said. “We could add another $2.58 billion to the state’s economy if we increased production of local food by another 10 percent.”
Consequently, SEED Wayne is dedicated to contributing to building a sustainable food system on campus and in the Detroit area, said Pothukuchi. It works with a number of community partners to promote food security, urban agriculture, farm-to-institution programs, and food planning and policy development.
Among its partners are the Ford Mother Company Fund, which contributed $100,000, The Henry Ford, AVI Foodsystems, Inc. (WSU dining service), Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, City Connect Detroit (funding opportunities service). Other partners include members of the Detroit Agricultural Network, a collection of organizations that promotes the city’s urban gardens such as Greening of Detroit, Forgotten Harvest (food rescue service), the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Earthworks.
Howe’s first exposure to the city’s urban gardens occurred at Earthworks when he volunteered to work in its 1,300-square-foot greenhouse as part of his high school service requirement while he was a student at the University of Detroit-Jesuit. The greenhouse produces and distributes more than 100,000 vegetable seedlings for the city’s 355 backyard, community, and school gardens.
Earthworks was started in 1997 by Brother Rick Samyn after he noticed that the poor were buying their food at gas stations, and kids were calling Coke and chips a meal. He began a small garden on a vacant lot and two years later developed six other lots by removing debris and regenerating the soil with compost.
Today the gardens supply fresh, organic produce for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which prepares 2,000 meals per day. They also provide 25 million pounds of food a year, equivalent to 65,000 meals per day to the Gleaners Community Food Bank, another Capuchin spin-off.
As a student at WSU, Howe still volunteers at Earthworks once a month, but he also helps to grow and sell vegetables at the WSU farmers market which operates on the fourth Wednesday during the summer months.
“I love seeing people and vendors talking together [at the farmers market],” said Howe.
One of the unique aspects of SEED Wayne, especially pertinent to a city like Detroit, is its social justice mission. Detroit has the distinction of being the nation’s poorest big city where nearly 33 percent of the residents live below the federal poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2004).
“Healthy food needs to be available to all people, said Ahee. “It is a fundamental right,”
Ahee said he could have gone to Michigan State University to learn sustainable agriculture practices, but he was attracted to Detroit where there is so much economic struggle and not much access to healthy food.
WSU students are emblematic of today’s growing national trend where young people are looking for ways to make a difference in their world. While their parents were more interested in political movements, this generation is more interested in personal action where individuals can get involved in doing something.
The future of the environment is college students’ particular concern and SEED Wayne is helping to provide its students with opportunities to learn about and experiment with sustainable food production.
At the Community Garden Resource Network, Earthworks distributes hundreds of seasonal crops. This is a photo from their cold crop distribution. As you can tell, the network is HUGE. They space out distribution over 2 days and there is still a line across the parking lot. Amazing.
This may seem an unusual career goal for a young man of the twenty-first century, let alone one from Birmingham, an upscale middle class suburb of Detroit. It’s also counter-intuitive that a major university located in the middle of the cultural center could offer Howe a means to his aspirations.
But Howe is a member of WSU’s Sustainable Food Systems Education and Engagement in Detroit or “SEED Wayne” for short, a program that was instituted last May.
SEED Wayne calls for a critical assessment of the conventional food system and its relationship to the health of local communities, economies, environments, and cultures, said Kami Pothukuchi, associate professor of geography and urban planning at WSU and the founder of the largest inner-city campus with a comprehensive food systems program that is not run by an agriculture school.
“SEED Wayne also challenges students and others to examine the broader implications of their food choices,” she said.
For example, Pothukuchi teaches how a “community-based food system” revolves around local farmers, processors and distributors who produce fresh and value-added products.
Pothukuchi, who is among a handful of professional urban planners who see local agriculture and urban farming as a valuable tool for regional economic development, said that community-based agriculture has the potential for creating jobs, developing small business entrepreneurships and keeping precious dollars in the community.
“Michigan has the second most diverse agriculture in the United States [with 150 crops],” she said. “We could add another $2.58 billion to the state’s economy if we increased production of local food by another 10 percent.”
Consequently, SEED Wayne is dedicated to contributing to building a sustainable food system on campus and in the Detroit area, said Pothukuchi. It works with a number of community partners to promote food security, urban agriculture, farm-to-institution programs, and food planning and policy development.
Among its partners are the Ford Mother Company Fund, which contributed $100,000, The Henry Ford, AVI Foodsystems, Inc. (WSU dining service), Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, City Connect Detroit (funding opportunities service). Other partners include members of the Detroit Agricultural Network, a collection of organizations that promotes the city’s urban gardens such as Greening of Detroit, Forgotten Harvest (food rescue service), the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Earthworks.
Howe’s first exposure to the city’s urban gardens occurred at Earthworks when he volunteered to work in its 1,300-square-foot greenhouse as part of his high school service requirement while he was a student at the University of Detroit-Jesuit. The greenhouse produces and distributes more than 100,000 vegetable seedlings for the city’s 355 backyard, community, and school gardens.
Earthworks was started in 1997 by Brother Rick Samyn after he noticed that the poor were buying their food at gas stations, and kids were calling Coke and chips a meal. He began a small garden on a vacant lot and two years later developed six other lots by removing debris and regenerating the soil with compost.
Today the gardens supply fresh, organic produce for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which prepares 2,000 meals per day. They also provide 25 million pounds of food a year, equivalent to 65,000 meals per day to the Gleaners Community Food Bank, another Capuchin spin-off.
As a student at WSU, Howe still volunteers at Earthworks once a month, but he also helps to grow and sell vegetables at the WSU farmers market which operates on the fourth Wednesday during the summer months.
“I love seeing people and vendors talking together [at the farmers market],” said Howe.
One of the unique aspects of SEED Wayne, especially pertinent to a city like Detroit, is its social justice mission. Detroit has the distinction of being the nation’s poorest big city where nearly 33 percent of the residents live below the federal poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2004).
“Healthy food needs to be available to all people, said Ahee. “It is a fundamental right,”
Ahee said he could have gone to Michigan State University to learn sustainable agriculture practices, but he was attracted to Detroit where there is so much economic struggle and not much access to healthy food.
WSU students are emblematic of today’s growing national trend where young people are looking for ways to make a difference in their world. While their parents were more interested in political movements, this generation is more interested in personal action where individuals can get involved in doing something.
The future of the environment is college students’ particular concern and SEED Wayne is helping to provide its students with opportunities to learn about and experiment with sustainable food production.
At the Community Garden Resource Network, Earthworks distributes hundreds of seasonal crops. This is a photo from their cold crop distribution. As you can tell, the network is HUGE. They space out distribution over 2 days and there is still a line across the parking lot. Amazing.Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Part of my choice to move to Detroit and pursue a life that is more committed to justice has been inspired by various religious, political, and social activists- primarily women. Malalai Joya is one such person. She is a politician in Afghanistan who has been under violent scrutiny because of her opposition to both US involvement in her country as well as the violent and unjust treatment of women.
Contrary to the popular spin of the media, US involvement has not aided women, but has supported some of the most violent, sexist warlords in Afghanistan. Though she was a highly popular elected official, she has since been banned from the Jirga (Afghan government) and threatened by both violent opposition groups as well as fellow politicians (many of whom are US-backed.) Threats against her are yet another signal of sexism- some use rape as a means of intimidation and retaliation.
Interview on democracy now: http://www.democracynow.org/2007/6/19/the_bravest_woman_in_afghanistan_malalai
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Welcome!
Hello fam and friends!
Since graduating in December, many of you have been asking about my plans. I created this blog to help field some of those questions and (hopefully) keep myself honest to some of the goals and promises I have made to myself and others. I hope to update it regularly, but feel free to get on my case if I start slacking. Hopefully it will help me keep the people I love a little more in the loop on where I am being led in life and some of the joys and sorrows that are bound to come with that journey.
First things first, a recap of some recent travels:
-Spent a few weeks visiting Cousin Jill and Grandma Kline in Arizona. Between bumming around the art scene, getting incredibly sunburned, and visiting old labyrinths and churches, I was pretty much in heaven. Plus a man who was well into his 80's proposed to me. What more could I ask for?
- Traveled to DC for the 100 days campaign against torture. On April 30th, 62 folks of all ages (including yours truly) were arrested in front of the white house as they nonviolently demonstrated in orange jumpsuits and black hoods as symbols of the men still being held at Guantanamo Bay. The "case" is still open and I will be traveling back to DC for arraignment/processing at the end of this month. I will post a reflection on the experience soon...
- Went with Jake to MN for a wedding/to visit friends. Unfortunately, I had to meet Jake's real girlfriend, pictured at left. She's definitely cuter, but does she know how to spell Mississippi or multiply fractions? Probably not. I've got her beat.
And now, I am on my way to being a legit resident of Detroit. Here are a couple photos of the new garden, with more on the way:
More on Detroit to come soon. Thanks!
Since graduating in December, many of you have been asking about my plans. I created this blog to help field some of those questions and (hopefully) keep myself honest to some of the goals and promises I have made to myself and others. I hope to update it regularly, but feel free to get on my case if I start slacking. Hopefully it will help me keep the people I love a little more in the loop on where I am being led in life and some of the joys and sorrows that are bound to come with that journey.
First things first, a recap of some recent travels:
-Spent a few weeks visiting Cousin Jill and Grandma Kline in Arizona. Between bumming around the art scene, getting incredibly sunburned, and visiting old labyrinths and churches, I was pretty much in heaven. Plus a man who was well into his 80's proposed to me. What more could I ask for?
- Traveled to DC for the 100 days campaign against torture. On April 30th, 62 folks of all ages (including yours truly) were arrested in front of the white house as they nonviolently demonstrated in orange jumpsuits and black hoods as symbols of the men still being held at Guantanamo Bay. The "case" is still open and I will be traveling back to DC for arraignment/processing at the end of this month. I will post a reflection on the experience soon...
- Went with Jake to MN for a wedding/to visit friends. Unfortunately, I had to meet Jake's real girlfriend, pictured at left. She's definitely cuter, but does she know how to spell Mississippi or multiply fractions? Probably not. I've got her beat.
And now, I am on my way to being a legit resident of Detroit. Here are a couple photos of the new garden, with more on the way:
More on Detroit to come soon. Thanks!
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