Washington, Karen
1956–Present · Contribution: 1985-present
Urban Farmer & Activist
Co-founded the Garden of Happiness in 1988 and Black Urban Growers (BUGS) in 2009, building the Bronx's community-garden network and launching the country's largest annual gathering of Black urban farmers; coined the term “food apartheid”
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- c. 1954
- Active since
- 1985
- Category
- Agriculture & Food
- Best known for
- Coined "food apartheid"Black Urban Growers (BUGS)Bronx garden network
Impact on the world
Often called the godmother of urban farming, Washington turned vacant Bronx lots into gardens and built a national network for Black growers. Her term "food apartheid" reshaped how the country talks about food access.
Sources
- New York Botanical Garden (oral history)
2 more sources and references are available to members.
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