This was taken Wednesday December 16th at the Ralphs on Manchester Blvd., the site for our upcoming tree planting.  That’s me in the hat, looking like I’m wearing a disguise.  To my right is Carrie Ridge, manager of Community Relations for Ralphs.  She and I began corresponding back in the fall of 2007 when I began the journey of getting trees planted at this location.  To her right, Carlton Paysinger, the store director.   And on my left is Kayla Barnett, special programs coordinator at Million Trees LA.  She works for Lisa Sarno, the amazing and energetic executive director of Million Trees LA.

The meeting was a  gratifying occasion for me!  I’m still happily stunned that the tree planting is happening and that so many great things are falling into place.  In an earlier post, I mentioned how difficult it was for the Empowerment Congress Southwest, our Neighborhood Council, to get a quorum in order to vote to approve the expenditure for the maintenance of the trees.  The chair, Pat Jones, had been in touch with me and had been trying her best to get the members together to vote.  Lately, she’s not returning my messages.  We have no commitment from them to pay for the maintenance.  There was a meeting on the 21st, but as far as I know there was no vote.  So, sadly, it doesn’t look like the neighborhood council will be involved with this community event, which is a shame.  This is exactly the kind of project the Neighborhood Council should support, but unfortunately they can’t get it together to do so.  I don’t want to disparage them, because I know that they do the best they can,  but it’s my opinion that they need to do better.   Fortunately, because of Lisa Sarno, we’ll get what we need with or without them.

Ms. Sarno has received a donation from Screen Gems for our project!  They’ve donated funds to cover the first fully year of maintenance:  $2400.00.  My amazing cousin Elle Johnson donated $500.00 which will go towards the second year.  So, we still need $1900.00 for the second year of maintenance, but at least we can get the trees in the ground knowing they’ll be taken care of for the first year.

That’s Lisa on the far right in this photo.   I’m really grateful for her efforts!   She told me that there’s more good news…  Shell, the gas station just west of the Ralphs, is also a Million Trees LA supporter and so there’s a strong possibility we’ll receive even more trees!  They want to extend the planting west along Manchester Blvd.  This is spectacular news!  My dream of this becoming a tree-lined commercial corridor may soon come true!

This experience has bolstered my ability to hope.  There are elements of South LA that have felt so discouraging and bleak, but now I see that with patience and persistence– faith– we really can make things better.    And we’re doing it!

Coincidentally, I have  recently been exposed to a new movement in hip hop youth culture called Jerkin’.  It is turning the negative aspects of hip hop– gang culture, violence, low aspirations, and turning it on it’s head into something fun, hopeful, empowering and new.  There’s a possibility that some participants in the Jerkin’ community will come and perform during the tree planting event.   I’m happy that there are multiple components of revitalization happening in the hood and think it’s super exciting that they may intersect.  According to Shariff Hasan who’s become a voice in the Jerkin’ movement, greening is part of this culture.  That makes me smile.  It’s thrilling!  I’d been worried in recent years, seeing evidence that elements of hip hop had been doing a disservice not only to urban youth, but to the community at large.  Some (not all! rap was feeling like a destructive force, encouraging kids to be violent, uneducated and ultimately without hope of finding ways to succeed in the larger culture.  As I see it, when people don’t see a way toward a better life, they aren’t able to nurture the environment they live in.  Instead, they destroy it with graffiti, trash, vandalism– lack of pride .  This new movement is all about fun, but it’s also about the kids creating, owning and distributing their own work via the internet.  This entrepreneurial spirit coming out of South LA through this culture is invigorating and uplifting.  It’s breeding confidence and pride and when that happens it has a ripple effect, making other things (like the environment) better.   I read an article that said: “this new youth culture is actually the youth rebelling against rebellion itself.”   Hallelujah!   They’re rebelling against violence, gangs, drugs, dropping out of school, destroying the environment…     That civil rights song said, “We shall overcome someday…”   I used to think that wasn’t real at all,  just something struggling people told themselves to get through their lives.  But with the coalescence of this new movement in youth culture and the greening movement that nurtures our environment, I feel that we’re finally moving in the right direction and that we’re not only overcoming, we’re transforming.