Filled with towering trees, lush foliage, and a rainbow of exotic fruits and vegetables, the New Roots community garden immediately transports you into another world.
“I think this is my therapy,” said Fatima Abdelrahman, an immigrant from Sudan. “Without this place I think I would be crazy, running out on the street. This place has helped me with everything.”
Fatima has been with the garden since its early days.
“I came from a war country, called Dufour, and so many things happened to me so I came here,” said Fatima. “When I came to this place, little by little it made me forget what happened to me.”
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At New Roots, immigrants and refugees like Fatima find solace and joy in planting their crops.
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As conflicts forced them to leave their home countries, gardening has helped them connect with their roots.
“My mom wanted to make sure that all her kids get in touch with nature because that's the only thing that reminds us of back home,” said Samar Abdalla, an immigrant from Sudan.
The community garden occupies a 2.3-acre parcel of city-owned land in the otherwise highly urban area of City Heights. A total of 76 farmers from all over the world work the garden’s 98 plots.
“All of it is for sharing,” said Khadijah Musabi, an immigrant from Somalia. "If I need seeds, another neighbor gives to me, if I have seeds, I give to another neighbor.”
More than 17 languages are spoken within the garden.
“You learn a lot from others, how they plant or how they live,” said Idzai Mubaiwa, an immigrant from Zimbabwe.
Regardless of language barriers and cultural differences, New Roots gardeners have sustained the garden for over 15 years.
“Everybody comes from different places but right here is one community,” said Salvador Ojeda, an immigrant from Mexico.
A place where inclusion and support cultivate community.
