Farm Without Harm
Matt Mitchell, Jordan Blatche, youth supporters, and goats gathered at Lovie’s Farm on July 22, 2024.
On Monday, our co-president and chief organizer, Lorenzo Jones, wrote a new piece, “Farm Without Harm,” which discusses how the Cultivating Justice project is increasing public education, capital, and infrastructure for urban agriculture and farmers in Connecticut.
An excellent example of this is Lovie’s Farm, which continues to fight for the right to farm and provide farming opportunities across the state. The Black-owned farm has recently added new chickens and goats. Located on Randolph Road in Middletown, the farm spans 13 acres of privately owned land dedicated to promoting justice in farming and agriculture. Together with Chicks Ahoy Farm and Cultivating Justice, Matt Mitchell and other urban farmers across the state come together to fight for representation in food justice through public education, resources for farms and agribusinesses, access to capital, and self-reliance and sustainability.
If you are interested in our Cultivating Justice project or attending the next meeting, please contact Diana Martinez at diana@katalcenter.org.
Building Power in Connecticut
People participated in our BLOC Training at Katal’s Middletown office on June 15, 2024
As Katal continues to build power throughout the state, we’re holding community meetings in August and beyond in Middletown, Greater Hartford (Bloomfield), and Bridgeport. We invite you to join a monthly meeting near you!
On Saturday July 13, Katal held its first community meeting in our new Bloomfield office with Chicks Ahoy Farm. Folks joined the meeting in person and virtually to discuss our growing and developing farm projects, the direct impact of carceral supervision, and navigating the pardon process.
Next month, on Saturday, August 17, we will hold our first community meeting in Bridgeport, from 11:00 am to noon. Since the last city council meeting on July 1, residents in Bridgeport’s Success Village have continued organizing about their housing needs. We invite all Bridgeport-area residents to join us next month on Saturday the 17th: Register here.
To get involved in our organizing efforts or to join a community meeting, please contact Jazmarie Melendez at jazmarie@katalcenter.org.
Harvesting at Miller Street Community Farm in Middletown
Wesleyan University Interns Zoe Hecht and Emma Jean Knapp on 7/18, harvesting cabbage and marigolds at the Miller Street Community Farm.
The Miller Street Farm is blooming! Our interns and community residents have been gathering and learning when and how to harvest. So far, we’ve had three harvesting sessions and have distributed cabbage, mustard greens, kale, arugula, parsley, shishito peppers, poblano peppers, basil, snap peas, and marigolds weekly. Our tomatoes are almost ready too!
If growing food is your thing and you’re interested in supporting our community farming, please contact Diana Martinez at diana@katalcenter.org.
Katal Quotes of the Week
“Give light and people will find the way.” ― Ella Baker
“Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.” ― Saul Alinsky
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822
