Liam Farin, “Place and Memory: Urban Gardens as a Method of Sharing History”
Mentor: Arijit Sen, History
Oral Presentation 9:15am Union E280

How do we tell stories of positivity and pride in neighborhoods reduced to and defined by segregation, historical disenfranchisement, and poverty? Since 2021, I have worked as a researcher with the Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures Field School to collaborate with members of the Cherry Street Community Garden Club in Milwaukee’s marginalized Midtown neighborhood with the goal of co-writing stories about the garden and gardeners’ food traditions. By listening back to our archive of oral history interviews with members of this community, I was able to identify five ways community members understand and think about gardening and its impact on their world. They frame their discussions around topics such as labor, sharing, connection, access, and self-representation. Each of these conceptual frameworks is supported by systems maintained by people, places, and activities. After establishing a longstanding relationship with members of the community, I conducted oral histories with daughters, mothers, and grandmothers, and came to understand that community gardening is important in building connections, not just between community members, but within families. These relationships produced the sharing of knowledge across generations of Black women specifically. These oral histories helped answer what role gardening plays in preserving family history and food cultural traditions, as well as what value and meaning it has for different generations. I began to understand how the five systems I had previously identified played a role in how histories are shared and preserved. This research demonstrates that community gardening facilitates the sharing of family history between multiple generations, as well as skills and techniques to grow and prepare culturally significant foods like okra and turnip greens. These conclusions are often missed when looking at the value and impacts community gardens have, however I have identified these conversations as important in preserving the experiences and histories of Black women in the United States.